Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

Okay, today is real day one.  My computer issues are moderately solved, the room is ready, the books came in, and open house was sparsely attended (fine by me)-- in short, let's gooooo.  I have to wear shoes, sort of. That's a thing. I have new sandals, so they'll do.  This semester, it's Brit Lit and AP Lang. I have nine kids rostered in each class, so it's a really small but workable number. And the part that the heating/cooling/whatevering system is on order, so maybe we won't roast entirely. (Ahhh the woes of complicated systems that depend too much on tech-- I would rather just open a window, but hey...here we are.)  I hope your day is wonderful. I'll catch you all up later. And no, I didn't watch the Mary Oliver documentary yet-- I was too tired. I will, however, recommend a short (one season long, sadly) series on Britbox called Ludwig . It's awesome. =) I see that season two is coming in October-- hooray! Ciao for now, friends.  C

Yesterday was a long day. I had one brief meeting, and then I worked on things on the computer, then arranged the classroom furniture (including unloading a bookcase, moving it out of the way, and transferring all the books to a different bookcase), and then I tackled my bulletin board project. Up and down the step ladder. I can honestly say, the day was filled with hot, dusty, and exhausting work. And I will not do it again like this. Sore? O yeah. I'm all hopped up on painkillers and Tiger Balm this morning. And I'm super grateful we had the option of going in late today. We could either be there for 8, leave at 2:30, and come back for Open House at 5, or go in for 10am and stay until 6pm. I'm going option B. One, I'm sore and tired, and two, gasoline conservation.  I don't have much left to do in my classroom, and my plan book is done (in pencil) for the first month. My computer(s) are messed up, though-- we've migrated to a new network, and one will not spea...

Quick post this morning--cool, damp, but promising sunshine later.  I'm off to work in a few minutes. Today is a teacher work day-- meetings, classroom stuff, etc. And so is tomorrow, but I hope to knock out a bunch of stuff today. I have a syllabus to edit, a bulletin board to create (I hope), and maybe some books to put away. And stuff I stuffed into my meager closet to put back out.  I didn't get a new desk chair yet, either, so that's on my to-do list. Maybe next weekend? I want to go to the thrift store to see what they have.  And so it goes, eh?  On to year 40. EXCELSIOR! C

Today is the last day I can call sort of my own for a bit. I'm sad, I guess, because there are so many things I didn't do, didn't have time to do --or energy-- but still, summer was good. I wanted to read a lot more, write a lot more, and didn't really-- but I did get my manuscript into a shape that makes me think there's a book in there. I didn't kill off the weeds in the flagstones and the front walk, but I will before fall, so maybe they won't be so virulent next spring.  I spent a lot of time with Holly; most of it was pretty good. Some, not so much, but she's four, and nervous about her new school, and she's a busy kiddo who wants interaction all the time. She's my polar opposite in that way, so we both had to embrace the discomfort at times: I need quiet time, and she needs to figure out how to entertain herself. Did we conquer reading? Not yet. But she is primed and ready. Did we manage to learn how to tie shoes? Not yet, but she's abo...

I have a few hours to myself today before I am hanging with Holly while her parents hoe out her room and make it more accessible (and clean, neat, and organized). It's hard with small spaces. I recall well sending Meg to her grandparents for a weekend here and there, and then digging into the mess. It used to be a rule of thumb: one trash bag per hour. And I used to find a bunch of loose change-- one time, there was just over 12.00 in change. NO, I didn't keep it. LOL  Holly's room is small and she has a billion stuffed animals. She is well-loved, to be sure, and has more toys than she can even play with. The same is true for her space here and I don't really feel like digging into the mess today but we might. We'll see. I'm hoping we can have a nice day, and if it warms up, she can get in the pool. The days are not as warm as they were; yes, the sun is warm, but the breeze is not as welcoming as it was in July. Autumn is starting to peek around the corner.  G p...

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...