I wonder

I joined Facebook in the spring of 2009.  Up until that time, I thought it was something just for college or high school kids.  Then, I saw where my mother-in-law had a FB page, so I decided to give it a try.  WOW!  Facebook has been a very pleasant experience, for the most part.  I've made new friends through scottish terrier groups, and have gotten to meet a few of them, which was so much fun.  I've connected with high school friends that I haven't seen in ages, and probably wouldn't recognize if I passed them on the street, yet I know what's going on in their lives..the good stuff and the not so good.  Pictures and comments from family members keep them close and on my mind, even when they are far away.  Some of the Facebook changes have been annoying.  I don't like recipes and the advertisements.  They take up too much space, so I just keep scrolling.  My daughter included me in a neighborhood watch group which, I swear, is sometimes better than a soap opera!  I have been appalled by the vicious name calling and political diatribes that some people post.  I haven't unfriended anyone if their beliefs are different than mine, but I have blocked a few and quit following them on my newsfeed.  And I also haven't unfriended those who make ugly remarks about my favorite team.....but, fortunately, most of my football-loving friends are good-natured and don't get nasty with the trash talk!

But, I started thinking, what are the main things one learns about me if they follow my FB posts???? In no particular order:  1) I am a teacher. 2) I am an Auburn fan..a big one  3) I am an animal lover  4) I am crazy about my scottish terriers.5) I like wine.  That's pretty much it.  I refuse to make comments or even "like" political or religious posts because I think that should remain private. I never gripe about the kids or the husband.   Can anyone tell that I despise standardized testing?  That I am so jealous of my friends who are now becoming grandparents?  That I miss one of my best friends who died over a year ago and not a day goes by that I don't think of her?  That I am quite content with growing older, until I see pictures of folks I went to school with and I think, AUGHHHH, do I look that old????? So, I'll be positive and think that maybe they are just not very photogenic.
This school year, so far, has been very stressful.  I get there early and stay very late.  I have a never-ending to do list.  I think it all caught up with me this weekend.  I stayed late on Friday, and then prepared a big list of things to do on Saturday that didn't get done because I was sick....fever and horrendous stomach problems.  I slept through most of the football games I wanted to see.  I think that was the Lord's way of telling me to rest.  I did nothing all day.  Now, this morning, I threw the to do list away, and I feel much better.  Thank you, Lord.

Have dogs, will travel.

This weekend was the 2nd time we took all 3 dogs with us to Florence.  Ralph stayed behind at the groomer's; and Emily came over to take care of the ones who stayed behind.  Because of all our animals..birds, cats, dogs, etc., we seldom go anywhere together
anymore.  One of us usually stays behind just to take care of the zoo.  Since we have a little house in PCB, we get away to the beach several times a year and we take all the dogs with us then.  Now, we take two cars!!  Ralph and Eleanor ride in crates in my car.  If we stay longer than 1 or 2 nights, one of the daughters comes over to feed and water everyone left behind.  And, cats are so much easier to leave alone.  Sometimes, I think they are happy to have the house to themselves for the weekend!  We leave out big bowls of dry food and big bowls of water, and clean litter boxes, and they are good to go.  Of course, Emily or Caroline still checks on them.

   This time, on the way home, we stopped at Durbin's in Clanton.   It's a good rest stop, and they have the best homemade ice cream year round.  It was different today, though.  We bought ice cream for the dogs!!!     Chris and I didn't even get any.  This stop was strictly for them.  Well, we did use the restroom while there.      Lee Roy ate every bit of his.  Franklin downed most of his, but Eleanor was not too impressed.  I don't think she is a cake and ice cream kind of girl.  Once we got home, she threw it up.  Oh, well.                                                            

You can't go back.

 I find a lot of joy in getting together with old friends and colleagues.  I have missed the closeness and the special camaraderie that developed in the many years I worked with the Eastway bunch.  I love remembering the countless parties and gatherings at my house with a special faculty.  Those were such fun years.  I am often asked, "Is it better in Alabama?"  And I always answer, "It is different."  I am being diplomatic.  The kids are the same.  Kids are kids.  But the working atmosphere is very different.
This past Friday, we had an Eastway Reunion at the Speakeasy.  What a good time!  The smiles, the laughter, the love.  Our old principal came and reminded us that we all still loved each other, after all these years.  We really were a special bunch.  As our get together came to a close, the old assistant principal said to me, "you know, you can't go back".  And I sadly had to agree with her. BUT, it sure is fun to visit and remember once in a while.

This was our first ornament party. 2002.

That poor girl was from Up North, and didn't "get" tailgating!! We took her to her first Auburn game.  October 2003.

Many of our after school gatherings were held at the Speakeasy.  It seemed natural to meet there again Friday.

I taught with both of these ladies.  I missed them so much when they left Eastway.

Sew what?

I took sewing lessons in 8th grade.  The teacher didn't like me and I wasn't very good.  I learned the basics.  My mother helped me a good bit, but to this day, I am sorry I didn't take Home Ec in high school.  At that time, I turned my nose up at the idea of taking that course because I was too "smart" to take it.  Hmph, dumbest thing I ever did.  Flash forward to my first year of marriage.  The first thing I bought on credit in MY name was a Singer sewing machine.  I began to sew a few things for myself just to see if I could do it.  Flash forward to the summer of 1987, and I made many of Matthew's shorts and shirts for a trip to Disney World.  Chris said he looked like Opie Taylor in some of those outfits.  Flash forward to Halloween of 1991.  That year I decided to make the girls' Halloween costumes.  That was so much fun, I continued to make many of their clothes.  I gave away that first Singer and bought a new machine. (One that could make buttonholes!!!)  I loved the rush I got knowing how much money I'd saved making their clothes, and I loved the compliments I received.  Sadly, they reached the age where they no longer wanted their mom to make their clothes.  My sewing projects dwindled to making costumes for church and school plays, and eventually, that stopped, too.  By then, I was into scrapbooking big time and didn't have time to sew.  The sewing machine was packed up and put in the attic.  That was the mid to late 90s.  Flash way forward to last year, when Pinterest became a big deal.  Someone pinned a picture of child's dress with a scottie applique.  And something in me decided I should begin sewing again.  It was too much trouble to look in the attic for the old machine, so I asked for a new one for Christmas.  I started with dog collars and pillow covers, and, for the first time since 1992, I made a little girl's dress.  I downloaded a pattern from Etsy, and made that scottie dress I saw on Pinterest.  After all this time, one thing I've learned...that if I spend a little more for quality fabric for a fairly simple pattern, it looks good.  And, I am proud of my first attempt in all these years.  It will break my heart if my daughters don't want me to make a few things for their children, when they have kids of their own.  I told a teacher at school that her granddaughter could have this dress if it fit her.  If not, it can wait for my first granddaughter!!

Reflections of a New Day

I think I became an Auburn fan about the 5th grade.  That's the earliest I can recall.  My dad watched college football every Saturday, and so becoming a college football fan just naturally occurred.  He was an Alabama fan, and I think I picked Auburn just to annoy him.  LOL.  Anyway, after that, I always knew I'd go to Auburn.  For awhile, I was interested in Wake Forest, but decided Auburn was closer to home.  Out of all the thoughtful pieces thousands of folks have written about their love for Auburn and why they love it, my words would be no different.  I don't know why I love it; I just do.  Maybe it's a southern thing.   I know that it's more than a football team.  It's a way of living life perhaps.  I mean, we could be the worst team in the history of the world every year, but I would still be cheering for the orange and blue.

Now, a few thoughts about yesterday's game and the afternoon spent in the Loveliest Village on the Plains.  HOT, HOT, HOT, HUMID, HUMID, HUMID.  The stadium was a sauna.  Thankfully, there were some rain showers in the area, but none at the stadium, so there was no bright sun and a slight breeze.  For the first time in 20 years, we have season tickets.  Section 43 row 61.  3 rows from the very top of the section.  Good Lord, I am out of shape.  No way was I going to the bathroom at half-time if I had to climb those steps...I have got to start working out.  Pre-game stuff was great.  I get teary-eyed every time the eagle soars, we sing "God Bless America", and "The Star Spangled Banner."  But, the canned music that is played for the crowd didn't inspire me at all.  Not crazy about "Crazy Train",  There was no "Living On a Prayer", but there was "Start Me Up".  And the crowd did go nuts with the Gary Glitter oldie and I really liked the part when everyone chanted, "Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer, Go to hell, Alabama."

Didn't realize my fingers were so fat

During the summer, I made game day collars for all the dogs and had them wearing the collars all week.  I am sure that brought the team luck.  Then, I bought myself a little game day bling at Ware Jewelers, which again, I am sure was a lucky move.  Before the game, Chris and I always go the Alumni Tent where there are great freebies, food, big screen TVs, Aubie, the band and majorettes,  and birds from the Southeastern Raptor Center.  Believe it or not, my favorite part is the birds.  They are so cool.  That little barred owl posed so nicely for me.

Well, there you have it.  An Auburn victory with a new coach is a great way to start "A New Day".  And, I believe in Auburn and love it.  Always have. Always will.

Hey, Teacher, Leave them kids alone

Every year, I threaten to play that Pink Floyd song on the first day of school.  After all this time, I still think it is funny.  But, I don't think 3rd grade kids from the projects would understand the "dark sarcasm" of the verses that I find so humorous.


I love school supplies.  New crayons, new bottles of glue, sharpened colored pencils, washable markers, Sharpie markers, new back packs, Fiskars scissors.  I get such a rush walking down the school supply aisles at Target and WalMart.  Tom Hanks, in the movie "You've Got Mail" talked of "a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils".  That describes those #2s perfectly. And binder clips,  I must have bright, colorful BINDER CLIPS.  Forget dull, boring paper clips.

My room is getting decorated.  As usual, the Beatles and scotties are there.  I've ordered fabric for pillow covers and curtains.  I quit trying to keep a total of how much of my personal money I've spent on my classroom each year.  I don't even think about it anymore.  All in all, it's just another brick in the wall.......

So long, Summer

My summer pretty much ends today.  Tomorrow, I head to my classroom where I’ll spend the morning creating an inviting learning environment for my new students.  That really sounded professional, didn’t it?...Inviting learning environment.  I have tugged and shoved and dragged furniture around and I have the bruises on my arms to show for it!  Tuesday and Wednesday is registration and I’ll find out who’s in my class.  Thursday and Friday, I’ll be back in the room still decorating and organizing.  We will try to get in one quick trip to the beach for the weekend.  I officially start back August 6.

It’s been a good summer.  I am sad to see it end.  I am ever reminded that I am getting older, and the days seem to go much faster now. 

So, here are some of the highlights of my summer of 2013:

·       

  TIME Yes, time.  Time to putter and read and nap and just not be on a blasted schedule.

·         BOOKS  I am happy to say that I read all the books I had stacked on my night stand, and then some.  Here they are. Cats and Daughters,  A Dog’s Journey, One Good Dog, The Next Best Thing, A Secret Kept, The House I Loved, The Hypnotist, The Life of Pi, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and The Other Boleyn Girl.  They were all enjoyable.  My least favorite was The Life of Pi, while I was pleasantly surprised by Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness.  I chuckled all the way through it.

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 RAIN  That’s right, I loved the rain.  It kept everything blessedly cooler and beautifully greener.  After too many summers of three digit temperatures for days on end, the raindrops and cooler air were delightful.  I missed the 1996 US Women’s Olympic Softball Team’s victory over China because I was in the First Aid tent after being escorted by a doctor as I had become overheated.  Scary, and not fun.  Plus, I missed a good game.  Then, I missed Auburn’s first game of the 2001 season, because, once again, I was overheated and spent the entire first half in the first aid station on a stretcher. I love Auburn, and Auburn football, but I did not care about dying in the bowels of Jordan-Hare Stadium that day. So, this summer I appreciated the lower humidity and lower temperatures and enjoyed the outdoors much more.

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NCIS marations on USA  It seems that every summer, I discover TV programs that have been on forever but I never found the time to watch them.  The summer of 2010 I became hooked on  HOUSE reruns. 2011, it was The Big Bang Theory.  Last summer, I became addicted to FRASIER reruns on the Hallmark Channel.  I have never laughed so much.  So, this summer, it is NCIS.  Mark Harmon is one fine looking actor, and Michael Weatherly ain’t too bad, either.  I really like Abby.  She’s like a female Sheldon Cooper, but way cooler.

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My new washing machine.  Washing clothes has never been so much fun.

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  Franklin, Eleanor, and Ralph  The walks, the cuddles, the naps, the ball tosses, the homemade dog food, the new collars, the trips to the beach.  Once again, the time to just relax and be with them.  WHEN DID I BECOME SUCH A FREAKIN’ DOG PERSON????????  We also rescued a kitten at the beach which we named Sheldon.  What's one more?





And finally, watermelon and peaches.  What else is there to say???