Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

There have been162 separate recalls made in 2026 alone (so far) for food and associated items. Add to that the upending of the vax schedule, the cuts made to necessary support systems like school lunches and medical care, and we are at a really scary tipping point in the country-- all while the roadways in DC are being prepped for a street race with cars topping 200 mph. All for...what? What the hell are we celebrating?  I'm worried for the health and safety of not only my own family and myself, but of my students. Many of the kids in my district come from lower income families, those who can't just "grow their own food" as has been callously quipped about the food recalls. Health care costs have gone so far out of reach for so many people it's astounding. People can't take a day off to stay home with sick kids, too-- so we are likely going to have a germ incubator filled with hungry, insecure, sick kids. Can't wait.  As it is, I bring snacks for my studen...

Thursday, a little damp, a little cooler... good day to get things done. Well, sort of. I got the laundry done last night, and (drumroll) I got the first month penciled into the plan book. Might as well. It's about time.  If I can get all the piddly stuff figured out, then I can just focus on setting up my classroom on Monday when we have time to do it. I don't imagine I'll get everything done, but making it an organized space is good enough. I do not envy elementary teachers. They have to jazz up their rooms to make them all sorts of bright and colorful. And it seems that they end up having to move rooms fairly often, so all their stuff is packed up in totes and they have to start from scratch. Ugh. My posters stay up. I have a handful of books coming in, but not a lot (who has a budget?), and I need to reconnect the SMART board and put up a bulletin board. Nothing all that taxing. Speaking of taxing, I sincerely hope that the lady at HR Block is in today, so I can (finall...

I really need to get myself back into school schedule. I stayed up far too late watching a series on Netflix called Best Medicine . It's really cute, sort of has Northern Exposure vibes. But getting up in the morning is awfully hard when you've stayed up watching TV. Every night I say I'm going to start going to bed earlier, but yeah... the allure of TV with no real consequences is there. But honestly, I have to get my body-schedule back on track. Y'know, when to pee, when to eat-- it's amazing how teachers have to hold it, wait for it, deny the urge to do...human bio things. And sleep. I know I need to go to bed a lot earlier, so 5:30 is not a horrid surprise.  Well, it's always a horrid surprise, but less horrid?  My schedule this year is blocks 2 and 3, so I don't technically have to be to work until 8:30 (blessings), and I leave at lunch (12:35). If the grant money comes in, I'll stay for lunch for writing lab time. MUCH better than block 1--  morni...

Tuesday: warm, humid, no bears.  Holly and I baked all day yesterday, and it was a load of fun. And we have plenty of zucchini muffins, a banana bread, and two loaves of sourdough bread. I froze a lot of it, to be honest. I should be making/freezing a lot more stuff, too. Once school gets into full swing, I have limited time to do much.  I am sitting here looking at the bright orange folder that holds the poems in some sort of order that should eventually become a manuscript. Enough time has lapsed so that I should be able to read through it carefully now. I suspect there will be more rearranging, there will be more revising and editing, and it'll probably sit for a week or two again. I might work on it tomorrow. Maybe even today. Who knows? My muse is on strike.  And I have a nail appointment set for 10 am. And I have to check back with the tax lady to find out if the amended forms are done. And I got a late notice from the electric/water company-- the check I mailed wee...

Raining, but warm. I'll take it. I need a day to lounge, to bake, and just hang out. And in a few minutes, Holly will be here, and I hope she wants a lazy day.  The day started at 5:30 when I opened the  blinds upstairs, looked out, and saw a HUGE bear. I mean, we know its been here for months, raiding trash and generally being a nuisance. But my goodness, I had not seen it live, and there it was. He (and we believe it's a he) is a wide-body bruin, to be sure. If G had the deck door curtain open, he would have had a front row seat while eating breakfast. We don't have trash out, and the feeders are pulled in at night (and will not be put out today). Meg's trash got hit last night and again this morning though. What a mess. Stupid bear. And before the lecture begins, there is absolutely nowhere else for her to put the trash -- no shed, no garage, no door on the breezeway (not that any of those things stop a determined and hungry bear). Ammonia and ratchet straps have bee...

Sunday, cool temps this morning, but it promises to be lovely later. I sure hope so.  Yesterday, after I completely wasted well over an hour and lost my mind, I gave up on the tax forms and called the professionals. I got an appointment immediately, and the nice lady at HR Block is fixing my errors --and yes, they are mine-- and we will refile the documents. What an ordeal. It used to be pretty easy to fill in the 1040 and move on with your day, but not so much now. I will never do them myself again. I teach English , as I tell people, for a reason . The worst part is, the directions to fill out the form didn't agree with the form, and that gets me irate. So, I gave up on that. Sometimes you just have to. The rest of the day was really good. Groceries went well, and I made a pretty dinner of a purchased shrimp ring, french rolls, and a caprese salad that was photo-worthy. Our tomatoes are coming in well, and it featured the bright yellow and deep red, coupled with locally-produced ...