So here's the short of it,
Getting home the fast way or the best way...

And here's the long.

I really don't like commuting home from work coming the freeway. It is never predictable, and you can't tell from the ramp where I get on whether it's going to be fine or if it's going to come to a screeching halt. And I do mean a screeching halt.  Traffic can be moving right along and then without warning it will be inching along at less than 15 miles an hour going up the ridge cut.  Sometimes I approach the ramp to get on and the traffic I can see is just moving right along.  So I get seduced into geting up on the freeway and get right to a spot way beyond the last truck you can see in the upper right of the picture - way at the bottom of that incline, and traffic including all those big rigs that can't pick up speed very fast start inching along.  And I'm stuck one more time.

Now I'll have to admit, that even if I'm crawling along up the freeway, it's probably faster than going the way I go.  But I don't have to worry about the big trucks. I keep moving at a fairly steady rate of speed (unless I'm stopped at a traffic light). So I go the slower, but in my mind, the safer way.

Tonight the roads were wet. The freeway was backed up and I came up Main Street through the tunnel and down Brainerd Road to the house!  It was good to be home...

So here's the short of it, 
I had a great lunch today!

And here's the long.

Today was our New Teacher Consortium, and in order to save time we had teachers choose between bringing lunch or ordering in.  I coordinated the order in part with the Fox and Hen - a great little deli/restaurant on Highway 58.









Lunch was really good.  I'd recommend a visit there if you're ever out on Highway 58 around lunch time. That's  R.C.  the nice gentleman on the right in the blue shirt.  He's the fellow I worked with to make it all happen.


When I was working out the details one day I was there in the middle of the afternoon after the lunch crowd had gone.  He was bringing me small samples of the sandwich fillings - all home made by the way.   I had thought I wanted egg salad, but since it had olives in it I was changing my mind.  When I couldn't decide between the pimento cheese which I would highly recommend or the chicken salad, which I liked a whole lot, he said, "I'll tell you what, I'll make you a half of each."  I had to promise not to tell anyone, since that's not something he does on a regular order.  I thought it was a really nice gesture.  And It was great to have one of each for lunch!

I really like what we do with New Teachers.  I know they're thinking about changing that all up for next year and the coming years, and whatever training and support is offered will be good, but getting these newbies together several times throughout the year as they are learning their craft is really a good thing.  And having a lunch deal so that they can take a break and visit without having to leave allows them to really behave as a cohort.

Tomorrow is a morning at the office and afternoon at the office with a lunch meeting in between.  I think it will fly by because it's so busy!

So here's the short of it, 
What a day, what a day!

And here's the long.

So by the end of the day today, I thought I'd like a job that involved much less interaction with human beings.  Like maybe data entry from a computer station in a corner of my living room!

I know that tone of voice and attempts at humor are not conveyed well on a blog post, so I'll be clear.  I know I couldn't really do that.  I just had a day with more difficult human interaction than I've had in a long, long time.  And these folks are all people I like, respect, and think are good people (workers).  I think that's what made it the most difficult.  I don't think it's over.  I think I have more interactions coming along as an outgrowth of this.

Anyway, I'm home.  Sophie's had a walk.  We've had dinner. And I've listened to Governor Haslam's State of the State Address.  Now I'm ready to get ready for bed I think.  Tomorrow is a very early morning.

So here's the short of it, 
It's almost midnight.  I'm not sleepy.  I'm not really tired. 

And here's the long.

Tomorrow morning will be here and I will be struggling to get myself out of my bed.




Tonight we had a great dinner cooked by Liga.  Chicken stir fired with cashews and vegetables!
Yummy.  She even made some apricot oat bars for dessert.

Wish that relaxation and sleep followed on all that - but it didn't. 

I'll post more tomorrow if I can stay awake after a long work day with little sleep. 

So here's the short of it, 
I do love the weekends!

And here's the long.

Weekends are so lovely...

Sometimes I wonder what I love the most about the weekend. Is it not having to awaken to the alarm clock?  Or maybe it's the luxury of staying in PJs until mid-morning?  Or maybe it's being able to go shopping in the middle of the day?  Actually, I think it's just all that - a day to do as I wish and not be in a rush and hurry for someone else's agenda!

This morning was a take it easy morning - good hot coffee, perfectly cooked oatmeal, and no hurry to get anywhere.  I was out of my PJ's by lunch time and headed off for a girls afternoon of errands with Liga, and Mom.  We spent the most money and time at Pet Smart (oh, those lucky dogs and cats of ours).  But we had several other stops as well.

We stopped at Elmcroft for a visit with Mommy Anne.  Mom went upstairs to find her friend Lillian Samuels who now lives there, and they came down to the front parlor where we were sitting.  It was a nice visit.

After dinner I decided to go ahead and get grocery shopping out of the way.  I'm glad that I went because the morning will be so much more relaxed tomorrow.  But I was reminded of why I go on Sunday mornings!  The aisles were crowded and there were "holes" in the stock, so I didn't find everything I had on my list.  But I'm still glad to have gotten that out of the way.  I'll sleep in a little bit longer in the morning and get up and make French toast for breakfast!

So here's the short of it, 
Thanks fo Kathryn Lynn Venable.

And here's the long.

This post is a hat's off to Kathryn Lynn Venable - a former Pineville High School Band Mate and Facebook friend.  And one who share's that - growing up in small town Southeastern Kentucky past.

I made a post about my morning oatmeal routine that I share with sweet Sophie most mornings and I lamented that I don't get my raisins because I don't want Sophie to have any.  Kathryn posted on Facebook with an idea to help me get out of my rut of thinking.  I tried her suggestion.  It didn't work exactly as I wished, but it made me remember that I it's not so hard to think of alternative ways to try things.  So now I have raisins in my oatmeal.

I still want to make sure that Sophie doesn't get any raisins - they are potentially very bad for dogs.  So I am putting a small jelly jar of raisins covered with water in the refrigerator.  Then in the morning after I have my oatmeal cooked, I just put a spoonful into my oatmeal after I take Sophie's portion out. Their time in the refrigerator has them softened up just like I like them. And they have time to get warmed up.
And I get the extra umph of raisins in my breakfast.

One more reminder not to give up, but just think in a different way to solve the problems and complexities of our lives.

Thanks friend.

So here's the short of it,
It's been a rainy day in Chattanooga!

And here's the long.

Wow. For me this was not a day I enjoyed the rain! I couldn't just hole up in one place to work and the rain was too heavy for me to be able to run through the raindrops without getting wet!

Thankfully I'm now warm and dry!

Poor Sophie was wet when I got home. Of course it's probably not as big a concern for her as it is for her owners to have a wet dog in the house!! I have noticed though, that she doesn't particularly like to go do her potty business in the rain. However, if the rain isn't coming down too hard, she doesn't mind running out to the back gate or over to the fence to bark at a passerby! And she certainly still wants to have her walk no matter what. What a fun and funny dog she is.

I'm glad no rain is predicted for tomorrow. It will be good to come home and start the weekend with a cool but dry evening!