One more day...

I think Friday, the 30th, will be my last sub day for this school year. I've had 3 days at Orondo this week. It's a great place. I learned about one teacher that waited 10 years to get on staff at Orondo. There are 19 kids in each of the 6th and 7th gr classes, about 30 in the 5th grade. I had 5th and 6th the past two days, while the 7th was off on their annual field trip. Good kids. We talked about going to the doc, why the doc needs to hear from the patient (esp when he/ she is 12) rather than just the mom. Why the doc needs to know how you feel, rather than how your mom thinks you feel.

In the afternoon I read to the 5th graders, and taught sixth graders how to play online sudoku. Also listened to some of their personal stories, of moves, siblings, gardens. Stuff that shows family values they come from. One of the sharpest girls in 6th has only lived in the valley for 10 months. I'd like to meet her folks. I had her sister in 4th grade.

Last Friday I had first grade. Uh-boy.... try to get them quiet, even in a line -- two weeks before the end of school. In the morning I thought, "...maybe I'm just way too easy and that's why the kids like me.... maybe I shouldn't be in this job...." By afternoon, when we were out with track and field, and I was cheering on the petite little kinder girl who ran like the wind, or the shy and defensive boy who won first in Boys First grade, I fell in love again. My first grade class had a new girl, who didn't speak English yet, who hung on me. I understood about half of what she said, and had to keep telling her "my mind is slow... speak more slowly..." (smile!) because she rambled -- but was excited, enjoying herself, and fitting in beautifully with the others. I can cheer! I can encourage! -- I can learn to deal with rough days; just need a quiet summer to catch up with myself.

Today I'm back to -- ugh! cleaning, bill paying, etc.

This is always good for me...

NO FARTHER AWAY THAN TODAY by Helen Lowrie Marshall

No farther away than Here and Today is the loveliest place I know --
A small secret spot in a walled garden plot where all the nice memories grow.

It's bordered with kindness and sprinkled with smiles and shaded by friendly trees --
This small quiet place in that walled garden space with its bright little memories.

And I think about this -- how, if I were to miss one day with my rake and my hoe
In planting the seeds of a few kindly deeds, it would mean fewer memories to grow.

So I try every hour to plant a new flower, and strike down a weed in the way
Where the nice memories grow in that spot that I know, no farther than Here and Today.

Seeing the Other Side

Well, this has been our temporary kitchen for the past 3 weeks. Not too bad, really. We plug the microwave into a power strip, and the coffee maker, George Foreman or toaster into an extension cord that goes out to the garage. After a half dozen times flipping the breaker -- we learned!

Supper can be about anything we want -- as long as we do it on the GF rather than the stove -- and we have the energy. We didn't always have the energy WITH the stove in place, so soup is always a must-have staple. Last night we had Southwestern vegetarian soup, with addition of garbanzo and black beans, and some good black pepper. Yummy! My bowl was too big!

Bill is doing awesome job too! He raised the ceiling, taped and textured both kitchen and dining rooms, and we painted over the weekend. Randy and Julie stopped Saturday night to check, and then offered (we accepted!) to help us finish walls. I had done ceiling early in day and my poopy arm was tired. I can go back and add second coat little bit at a time.

On left is wall backing bathroom, where stove goes. Center is facing backyard, and whole is for dishwasher. The right is NEW CABINETS ON WALL and below, where microwave cart was before. Peninsula will be in third picture, but MUCH prettier than before. SO much more cabinet space. I hope I don't fill it all! I had stacked so much stuff in old cabinets, that I can imagine filling it all easily.

Dear Larry. He's so overwhelmed. He's already looking ahead to the next mountain range (scraping the ceilings!). I think he's doing it for me. Somehow I just don't communicate myself to him vey well. I guess it's the old story of men seeing facts, and women seeing relationships. He sees an ongoing project; I see ongoing dust. Today I'm going to capture as much dust as I can! along with doing finances, calling doctors, checking on payroll mistakes, doing laundry -- and getting ready to go back to school tomorrow. He needs time off! -- but won't take it! Always feels pressure from somewhere. I don't want to do anything to make his pressure worse.

So today I'll be thankful! ALL day! And do what I need to do, to make myself encouraging to him!

If that sounded unsettled, let it be known:

I think I have the best of both worlds ...

I enjoy it ...

and I'm thankful.

To Be or Not To Be!

Sub PERKS
1. "Who wants to kiss the teacher?" (1st)
2. "You get the FUN award!" (1st)
3. Lots of Hugs at recess
4. "You remembered names pretty well." (with surprise!) (4th)
5. "Teacher, will you draw me a flower too?" (5th - making Mothers' Day cards)

Sub CHALLENGEs
1. "Who wants to sit facing the board?!" (today, 5th)
2. "OK, you two, up here, NOW."
3. to the student sent to the wall 2 periods in a row, (a gentle) "Who are you mad at? Students or teacher?" (nothing but tears.... and later cooperation!)
4. REG TEACHER: "Now this child has bathroom challenges.... I give him a wink...."
5. 4 Kinders telling me how to do, 5 more talking, 2 boys wrestling in center of the group, and we're supposed to be in library 10 minutes ago! (K)

BALANCE?
1. " 'Sup?" (student's approach!)
2. I can turn ringer off!
3. No lesson plans or meetings.
4. I don't have to fix things or people, just get through the day.
5. I appreciate the REG teachers!

... one more thing to slow us down.....

The house next door finally sold last fall to some young guys the ages of our kids. They are fixing up to flip -- GREAT! Last night they had a party -- we weren't invited, but could have stepped right in because we could hear it all. Those dear young men don't realize their neighbors are the ages of THEIR parents, and we all go to bed at 9 and DON'T sleep through parties! At midnight I heard one guy tell the group that a lady had already called and said they were too loud (someone beat me to it!) -- nobody listened. About 1 am one car -- with a, no doubt customized and LOUD, muffler, left! (I had THOT I was back to sleep) At about 2 another left, and maybe another hour later a third car. Maybe it was the same car coming and going, but it was all LOUD! I couldn't yell at the guys, but I think I'll fix them LOTS of yummy brownies, and go tell them a story.....

Today we skipped church and went early to work in the lab. First we picked 20 flowers off of 40 trees = 800 flowers. Then we went back to the lab and started pulling the flowers apart. We'd finished about half of the flowers when I left at 3 pm. Larry and Janet are on their own now 'cause I have to be rested to teach tomorrow -- first graders! After Larry and Janet finish dissecting all those flowers, they plan to plate -- or mark HUNDREDS (yes, I mean hundreds) of plates with the infection which we sprayed onto the flowers on Friday. After THAT is done, they will go back out to the orchard and spray more infection. I don't think there are enough hours in this day to get it all done.

I CAN'T FIX ANYONE. Therefore, only God can give Larry wisdom as well as strength. They are both almost as tired as I am. I am not getting paid, thus I can refuse (really?) to do the work. I just feel terrible to not be able to help them, but I can't do that and be ready for tomorrow.

Who knows? Maybe the crunch will force him to re-think the plan and come up with a better one!

Signing off........zzzzzzzzzz...........mmmmmmmmmmm

Best Laid Plans?

Once again, best laid plans are BLOWN apart -- by interruptions! You'd think that by 54 a smart girl like me wouldn't even expect things to happen according to plan. But I tend to get thrown off course when a project drrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaggggggggggggssssss along. After 30 years, I realize Larry loves really getting into his projects, and that solving a previously unmet challenge would excite him. But I didn't count on 3 other major projects holding up things even longer!

Larry and the neighbor spent 2 weekends "pruning" this monster, which we finally deduced hadn't been pruned in 10 years. It was invading and restricting growth in 2 neighbor yards (and had probably assisted in death of trees in the 3rd neighbor's yard. Rather scary watching your husband totering -- in a tree -- only one leg on solid tree stump, the other knee leaning against a trunk -- chain saw runnnnnnnning. I stood and prayed! The neighbor, Eric was very helpful, and threw ropes around these chunks to help them land -- NOT on a fence or a person. They HAD to bring them down in chunks (see pic) for safety all the way around. The first weekend was cut short by SNOW! Second weekend -- to my dismay -- took all day Saturday AND Sunday. They quit about 7 Sunday night -- we watched a movie and ate dinner. Too tired to go out.

Since Sunday we've spent every night clearing the brush in the back yard. Larry used the tools (don't know names!) you use to split wood, to cut these guys into pieces small enough to lift into a wheelbarrow. I used pruners to cut off smaller limbs, and just broke brush, piling it till he could carry all to the side of house. WE'RE ALMOST DONE! Just as it's time for his BIG SPRING BLOOM!

Man! I wish we could have finished before bloom began. Thankfully we should be able to finish in one more day, but work in his orchard begins today. I may go out and snap and pile more before he calls me to work sometime today.

I've just not answered my phone for sub calls this week. I worked in Orondo on Wednesday and always LOVE those middle schoolers, but Larry wanted me to be available the rest of the week. -- HAD AN INTERESTING DAY on Wednesday! The teacher had lesson plans for my teaching the reproductive system to a mixed class -- boys AND girls -- 6th and 7th greades. They started snickering as soon as they opened their books, but we began the discussion with: "We're going to be respectful of each other -- all of us...." And the discussion went very well. I told them the teacher thought they must be mature enough to handle it -- and they were! -- Yesterday I checked, and there were 6 subbing jobs available in Eastmont for today by 4 pm. I just can't do both. Either 2 hours of working brush, or all day with kids, wears me out.

Lora and Andrew are coming home today, and I want to spend time with them, so I probably won't work in the orchard Saturday or Sunday. I work Mon, Tues, and Wed at Orondo, so I'd have to be rested for that. Poor Larry. I'll miss being with them (him and Janet). I've always taken them food -- at least. Fortunately they've massively streamlined their procedures this week.

Well, we still have an unfinished living room floor -- and dining room -- kitchen -- and hallway. Hopefully he'll get back to them next week -- hopefully! He's taken on finishing work that previous "remodelers" left undone (the guy who sold us the house 15 years ago!), and Larry always does MORE than a professional job -- in fact, the pros I've asked advice from said they'd have done less of a job than he. BUT it takes time. I told him last night that I've decided perfectionism is his "hobby". (JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT, I guess.) (BUT WE"RE NOT BUILDING ANOTHER HOUSE!)

We tore out carpet mid-February. Above, see the great beginnings we had 2 weeks later with the work he'd done on

the flooring. Here, to right see flooring after he realized he needed to finish an edge to the tile around hearth. He spent a week deciding which edging material to use, then began meticulously mortaring them onto hearth. He now only has end of hearth next to windows. THEN we /HE will begin re-placing the laminate pieces which are already cut and EAGER to be put in place.

Kitchen cabinets and counter tops are ORDERED. 50% paid for! A COMMITMENT! I need to be home more so I can begin emptying kitchen and carrying things downstairs in preparation for doing my food prep elsewhere. THAT part I'm not upset about. I'll see daily progress. It's when I can't see the progress that I get frustrated.

He just called, and they are ready for me at CV. I need a quick shower -- and then off to the newest -- interruption! All for love!