So here's the short of it, 
Another cold dreary day...

And here's the long.

What a cold, damp day. My feet haven't been warm for days. And yes, I am wearing socks unlike some of my coworkers who are already wearing open toed shoes with no socks or stockings!  Today I was in and out of three different buildings, and exposed to the elements - and my office, when I finally got there was very chilly. By the time I got home I had developed the runny nose.  I'm afraid I've got a cold coming on brought about by this dogwood winter!

So I should have probably tried to get myself into bed a little sooner, but that didn't happen. I get caught up in the evening and then, and then, and then, by the time I know it, it's later than I wish.  Sophie is snoozing on the sofa - just waiting for me to head off to bed so that she can join.  I'm sleepy, yawning, but also sniffling and snuffling - I'm headed off to bed and hope I sleep well.

So here's the short of it, 

I live with a book thief....

And here's the long.

Tonight I'd like to write about the work my team does, but it's not a topic for public discourse. So I won't. But let it be said, that sometimes there's a chance - maybe even a pretty good chance that we can do something that will offer a youngster a chance to see possibilities for his/her life way beyond what they can see in the moment. I hope that some of the work that happened today will create one of those opportunities.

I came home and couldn't find Inside of a Dog anywhere. Some time today, Sophie decided that she wanted to read it - out in the rain! I don't even know how she got it, because it was, I thought, behind closed doors, but I found it in the misty rain out in the corner of the upper yard.  It's too wet to read much tonight, so I'll have to wait.

Sophie with an asterisk

It's National Book Week.  On FB there's a "status game".  Here are the rules. Grab the closest book to you. Turn to page 56. Copy the 5th sentence as your status. Don't mention the book. Post the rules as part of your status.  I did that and the sentence was "Neither has got it right".  I thought that was pretty funny.  Here's the context  - "There is a tension between those who consider dogs wild animals at their core and those who consider dogs creatures of our own making. The first group tends to turn to wolf behavior to explain dog behavior. The recently popular dog trainers are admired for their full embrace of the wolf side of dogs. They are often seen mocking the second group, which treats their dogs as quadrupedal, slobbery people. Neither has got it right. The answer is plumb in the middle of these approaches. Dogs are animals, of course, with atavistic tendencies, but to stop here is to have a blinkered view of the natural history of the dog. They have been retooled. Now they are animals with an asterisk."  So here's  my "animal with an asterisk" - and here are some of her asterisks: *loves to chew on things that have my scent on them - *sleeps right next to me - *loves her doggie playmates in the neighborhood, but won't go out into the circle and play if I haven't come out the door yet - *likes to eat at the same time and in the same room as her family - *likes to eat anything within reach if no one is watching and is especially good at keeping an eye on anything left on the kitchen counter. *does not really get into chasing tennis balls, but loves to steal any tennis ball that another dog is chasing. *loves her kitty Lola, but is unsure how to play with her. *loves to sleep on the den sofa. *loves to sleep on the living room sofa, but knows that she'd better not let anyone see her there. *loves to be in the same room as her family. *and, Oh, so many more.

So here's the short of it, 
Here's a book recommendation for all dog lovers.


And here's the long.

 I'm an animal lover - there is a space in my psyche that is inhabited by all the dogs and cats, and birds, and even a few little gerbils, mice, and fish along the way.  And of course there's a mostly unmarked graveyard over at the side of the house where the animals who have lived in this house in Chattanooga are buried. 

My newest book is called Inside of a Dog.  It's an amazing text about how dogs negotiate the world through an examination of their senses.  I'm sure enjoying knowing a little more about what makes these critters tick!  I sure have been looking at  our evening walks differently.  Check it out a little more at this site.

I'm going to be keeping my eyes out to see if someone has written something similar about cats.

I know there's something about dogs and cats and me. From the time I could waggle a little kitten into the house and hide it in my bedroom, I've had them around me and as close to me as possible. I swore that as soon as I had a house of my own, my animals would be indoors. Well, they are. A cat and a dog at present. And how they soothe the soul!  As I write this, Sophie is sleeping at my feet, and Lola has been sitting on my lap helping me type.

So here's the short of it, 
Oh my the first day back from a long break is hard!

And here's the long.

It's always hard to get up and get out of the house on the first day back from a break.  Of course, those who think teachers don't work very hard get all plumped up about us having those long breaks to begin with!  But, I sure did enjoy having the time to head north and have some family time!

Today wasn't quite as hard to get up and going as I expected it might, but it was cold today. The office was cold when I got there. The car was cold when I had to run up to Hixson, and my feet still haven't warmed up! It's supposed to be some warmer tomorrow - I sure do hope so!

So far even though it's been pretty cool, my plant starts in the little greenhouse seem to be doing OK.  I added an Early Girl tomato to the group yesterday. I remember when Dad first started planting the Early Girl tomatoes - of course because they were early.  I'm going to plant at least one!  Here's a great description of it. "Comes in first as an early slicing tomato and our customers' favorite early variety. Dependable large harvests of flavorful, solid 4 to 6 oz. fruit. Disease resistance is good, contributing to its excellent performance in almost any climate. A proven variety for delicious, early tomatoes." Dad always used to strive to have ripe tomatoes by the 4th of July. That was quite an achievement for a gardener in southeastern Kentucky, where the planting season is at least 2 weeks behind us here in good old Chattanooga.  A good, conscientious gardener in Chattanooga, can certainly have ripe tomatoes by the 4th if not before. But that's a good, and conscientious gardener, not one who comes home from work and flops down on the sofa to watch the news, play on facebook, walk the dog. My first priority will definitely have to be getting the ground tilled - and right now it's too wet to get that done. So - we'll see when that can get done! I just can hardly wait for good vine ripened tomatoes on the table!

So here's the short of it, 

It's back to work tomorrow.

And here's the long.

Well, it's just a few hours until I head back to work. It's been a good vacation. What a wonderful gift to be able to spend time with Shelley, Lou, and Max.  And how lucky to have Liga to stay here and take care of the home front.

I tried very hard to really vacation and not think very much about work. But tomorrow I have to hit it head on. The budget crisis is putting our department in the situation to have to make some very difficult choices. That will be the center of my attention for next week. It's not something I think I will write much about, because, because, because, but I'd appreciate your thoughts and good wishes that the hard decisions we have to make will be as good as they can be.

Lola has been enjoying her freedom today. I know she's glad to no longer be trapped up in the attic, and I'm so grateful that she's OK.  I have to say that I was really worried that something terrible had happened to her. Well, I suppose it's pretty terrible to be stuck in the attic for two days and not be able to figure out how to get out --- I'm not really even sure how she got in there!   Anyway, she was very cooperative in letting me give her a sponge bath to get most of the attic dirt off of her, and she's snoozed away most of the day, testing out all of her usual spaces. 

I love spring vacation; but tomorrow will really be here early!

So here's the short of it,
We are home!!

And here's the long.

We are home. What a lovely trip.  But what a trip back home!  The flight wasn't particularly pleasant.  My seating arrangement wasn't much to my liking, and my back ended up hurting by the time we landed.  The nice spring days were gone and by the time we arrived in Nashville, there was a cold rain to greet us. And it rained on us all the way home and traffic was pretty bad. We made it home by about 8:30 and boy am I glad to be here. Sophie was delighted to see us. Liga and Dexter were still here to greet us, but Lola had gone missing a couple of days ago and was nowhere to be found!  I thought sure she was lost to us for good. But when Liga and Dexter left and Sophie quieted down, I was standing in the kitchen and I heard a faint meow coming from somewhere. A search for Lola ensued! Alan and I stood in the kitchen trying to figure out where in the world she was. Not the basement, not the closet, the front bedroom, the upstairs rooms - somehow she had gotten into the attic space.  Who knows how long she had been there.  Alan opened it up and shortly she emerged! She was hungry, thirsty and eager to be out of that attic!

Tomorrow will be a day of getting myself back into the swing of things and ready to go back to work on Monday. It's good to be back in Chattanooga.

So here's the short of it,
Our last day...

And here's the long

Today was our last day to be here with "the eldest" and her family.  Lou was off very early to work as usual, and is on call tonight, so we might not even get to see him before we have to leave tomorrow to catch our flight. We had another delightful day with  Max, but he seems like he might be getting a little sick. 

Three Generations Shelley, Max, and Poppa

We picked Shelley up after school and got to meet three of her students and see her room and meet some of the folks she works with.  She has her hands full for sure. We headed off to run some errands - our first stop was at Target for a basket ball goal especially for a 2 year old, and the Borders next door that is closing up shop - we came out with a few things to read and a bit of music for the car.  Then on to get a bite to eat.  Shelley took us to a Hibachi Japanese restaurant for dinner.  Picture to the left - three generations going into the restaurant.  It was still early, and we got settled in, ordered our food and started having conversation with the other family seated at our table.  Then across the room the Hibachi chef started banging and clanging and made his first fire, and it was absolutely all over for Max.  He was terrified of the fire, and was not having any of it!  Alan took him out for awhile, then his Mom took over and ordered her dinner in a go box, and the two of them went over to a nearby Whole Foods Market for a dinner of pizza. 

After that we headed over the the Trader Joe's store, with a stop at the L.L.Bean outlet.  Alan and I both managed to get out of there without spending any money!  I found a great barn coat, but they didn't have it in a color that I wanted, so I escaped without spending that money!  We got enough stuff at Trader Joe's that I'll have to use the expansion zipper on my suitcase to get everything in tomorrow!  But that's OK.  I keep hearing people say that we are getting one in Chattanooga, but I don't know if/when that's really going to happen.  It was a fun trip.  Our little boy Max was totally pooped by the time we got back home - and well, by the way our big guy Alan was pretty pooped as well!  They are both snoozing away right now. 

Well, it's up early tomorrow, and back to the south.  I'll be glad to be back in warmer weather and eager to have a day to unwind and get ready to get back to work and get the school year over. We've sure enjoyed the company here in New Haven!  Maybe next time we're here it won't be so cold and wet and we can get out a bit!

So here's the short of it, 
We have snow on Spring Break!

And here's the long

 Well, we did have snow last night. Not much really, except that it's the last of March!!  As Max was sitting on his changing table getting dressed this morning, he could see the snow on the roof outside his window.  He held out his hands (palms up), looked at me quizzically, and said "happened! snow!"  I could just hear his Mom saying on snowy mornings, "what happened, snow!" 

We had another delightful day of grandparenting.  What a special time we are having! 

So here's the short of it, 

We had a great day with Max. 

And here's the long

 Well, here's a shot of Poppa and Max entertaining me today.

We had a lovely day at home with Max while his Mom and Dad were at work.  We played trains, ball, puzzles, read books, ran up and down the living room, gave hugs and kisses, ate lots of good food, and looked at squirrels and snow.  They two boys both sacked out for about a two hour nap this afternoon, while I just chilled.

We are looking forward to two more delightful days of Max -imum fun!!

So here's the short of it, 
Here we are.

 And here's the long


We are here in New Haven safe and sound. The trip over was nice with a stop for lunch in Manchester, which put us getting into the airport with just under an hour before time for us to board. By the time we made a potty visit, and got down to the gate the line had already formed and it was time to board.  Our take off was pretty bumpy, and about 4 minutes into the ascent, the pilot came on the loudspeaker and said, "May I have your attention please, I need the people in row 14 to quit shaking the plane".  It was quite funny and momentarily we were out of the turbulence. The rest of the flight was uneventful.

Shelley and Max were there to greet us at the airport, and as soon as we got our bags, they whisked us off to their house. We've had a nice evening getting instructions for grandparent day care tomorrow. We are certainly looking forward to it.

Will try to post pictures tomorrow!

So here's the short of it, 
It is just so lovely to have a Monday at home!

And here's the long


Lovely, lovely Monday with no work waiting. Well, that's not exactly true. I had a problem pitched at me on Friday afternoon that needs to be solved by the time I get back to work next week, so one of my colleagues and I spent some time this afternoon via phone and computer working on that. It's not an easy fix. Budget cuts this year are really going to make this year a tough one.

But most of the day I just had at home. I didn't even get a shower and get dressed until after lunch! This morning I puttered around, and by later this afternoon, I was feeling much better. I maybe overdid a bit because this evening my tummy isn't quite as happy!

Tomorrow is travel day. We are really excited to be spending a few days with Shelley, Lou, and Max. We have a direct flight from Nashville, so we'll drive over late morning, and by tomorrow evening we'll be there. Today I've had on short sleeves, sandals, and capri pants and have had the door open in the back a bit to let the wonderful air in!  Tomorrow we head into what would be January type weather for us! But whatever will be will be - we are just looking forward to having a great visit. I am trying to get my head wrapped around putting warm clothes into the suitcase after the beautiful weather we've had here for the last couple of days.

Tonight Mar 21

Tue 22

Wed 23

Thu 24

Fri 25

Clouds Early / Clearing Late

Mostly Sunny

PM Snow Showers

Showers

Mostly Sunny

--

51°

39°

42°

42°

High

High

High

High

High

38°

34°

35°

28°

27°

Low

Low

Low

Low

Low

Chance of Precip: 20%

Chance of Precip: 0%

Chance of Snow: 60%

Chance of Rain: 60%

Chance of Precip: 20%

So here's the short of it,
Spring is really here! 

And here's the long

My little greenhouse is up. It blew over in the big wind the other week, but of course that was before I had anything in it anyway. This week Alan took some rebar and drove it into the ground and tied it down! He also put some roofing shingles under it to control the weedy green stuff from growing up under it.  Today I got Purple cherokee, Kumato, and Black Cherry tomatoes started. I started 6 of each. I also started some zucchini, some louffa, and something else...I can't even remember!!! I just went out and looked in the dark!  It was parsley - I'm not sure my parsley overwintered, so I planted some - I'll share if mine comes back. It sure felt springy to get some stuff started. I hope next year I can have some lettuces, and peas, and maybe even some onions already in the ground by this time! Wouldn't that be a great thing.

I was out quite a bit today. I'm feeling SO much better. I'm convinced that it was something I ate - most likely the burger at Blacksmith's the night before. I won't go back there, for sure.

So here's the short of it, 
No blog last night.  

And here's the long


I had a queasy stomach all day yesterday. I ate the lunch I packed anyway. 

By 7 or 7:30 last night I had gotten into my pajamas and was wondering if I was getting the stomach virus everyone has been talking about all winter. I really thought with spring here, I had dodged that bullet.  By about 8 o'clock it started. It was a night of vomiting until there was nothing but dry heaves, followed this morning by a bout of diarrhea. I moved myself back to the sofa next to the bathroom, and it was a good thing. Several times I didn't really make it all the way, but at least my mess was contained to a tiled space! Oh and that lunch I took from home had raw cauliflower  - so yucky!


Today I've just been a slug.  I've managed about 5 oz. of grape juice. Maybe that much water. Two bites of applesauce, and am just finishing up a cup of tea. I don't think I want to give my stomach any more ammunition than that for tonight! 

I'm beginning to think that it's not the virus, or if it is, it's just a very short lived version of it.  I think my tiredness is because I was up all night. I do seem a little feverish, but I think that might be just the results of the whole ordeal.

I'm headed to bed early tonight, but first I'm going to go try to see the supermoon.

So here's the short of it, 
It's Girl Scout Cookie time.

And here's the long

This week as morning comes, I've felt as though I had been drugged. It has been so hard to struggle to wakefulness. I suppose the decision about changing our clocks is made by people who don't have nearly the difficulty getting accustomed to the change.

 Our Girl Scout cookies came today. 

Alan got 6 boxes of Thin Mints. He'll put them in the freezer and they'll last him almost until next year's cookie sale. They will be quite safe from me.  However, those trefoils and samoas that we ordered - only two boxes of each - will be a temptation for me.

I so remember the years of Shelley and then later Liga selling cookies. We've gone through a series of Girl Scouts since then. For a long time Monica, a street over came by and took our order - from a little brownie scout to a mature Girl Scout. For the first time this year, we had to put out feelers to find a supplier - but she's a young one and she has a younger sister, so maybe we'll be in good shape for several years to come.

I just recently ran across a recipe for home baked cookies that are supposed to be just like the samoas.  I should probably try making them when I have to take a dessert somewhere, because I'd be sure to eat too many of them if they just stayed in the house. 

Tomorrow's lunch may have a couple of samoas or trefoils for dessert!

So here's the short of it, 
The weather is going to be really nice the next few days.

And here's the long

Our weather is trying to decide what to do. Yesterday it was really nice, but by evening, it was cool enough to need a warm jacket when I walked Sophie. Today it stayed on the cool side all day and was still pretty cool this evening. Tomorrow it's supposed to get warmer for a few days. But I understand we still have Blackberry Winter, Dogwood Winter, Locust Winter, Whippoorwill Winter, Redbud Winter and even Linsey-Woolsey Britches Winter.For more information on that there's a great article with pictures on Dave's Garden.
 
Sophie didn't have any neighbor dogs out to play with tonight except for Winston. He's a good friend, but he's on a shock collar, and Sophie has to go into his yard to play with him. She really likes him and he seems to enjoy her coming over, but tonight she didn't play very long with him. She ran into his yard for a brief little interaction twice as we walked around, but she was mostly content to just charge around and chase the wind or some shadow that only she saw.

I'm ever so grateful that spring break is around the corner. It will surely give me a chance to get my body in the daylight savings time mode!  The getting tired enough to go to sleep is a perpetual problem anyway, and now it's just shoved back even later. And getting up is well even though I can smell the coffee ..... the pillow is so soft, the blankets are so warm, the puppy is just snoozing on the floor next to me, and it is just so hard to roll out.

Tonight I'm watching American Idol. Liga's just stopped by to watch the second half with me - a convenient stopping place between work and her apartment. So we are waiting for Lauren Alaina to sing. She's all the rage around here. Then I'm going to try to close my eyes and sleep.

So here's the short of it,
CrockPot Chicken Report

And here's the long

Well, I thought the CrockPot chicken turned out pretty well. Mom came up and helped us eat it, so it was nice to have her company for awhile this evening. Alan said the white meat was dry.  I had to agree, but it had a great flavor - the dark meat was juicy, and I made a great gravy to put over the top of it - so I thought it was a success. I used home grown rosemary and lemon thyme to season it. I made chicken salad out of the leftover white meat, 2 leftover plates for Alan's lunches, a dinner for Liga to drop by and take home (it was actually going to be my lunch tomorrow), and some soup base from the carcass.  A pretty good haul from one hen!

Sophie and I had a good walk after dinner; she was really romping! Even though I'm really struggling with the "spring forward" in the mornings, it's really nice to have the extra daylight in the evening. I believe there were some little circle elves out playing this afternoon before I got home. I think they might have some druid blood running through their heritage too! This small structure really reminded me a little of the henges of England. So even the little guys on the circle - well most of the little ones are girls - are frolicking in the nice weather and something inside them is calling them to build a monument to the universe! I really like that.

So here's the short of it, 

Oh My... work

 And here's the long

Oh, I had a long list to get done today....
            I didn't even get through my first task...
                        It ended up being much more mammoth than I had planned...


I guess it's pretty clear what I'll be doing tomorrow.

Today seemed like a lovely weather day. I was stuck in the office all day long - even took my lunch, so I didn't get out until I left for home, and by the time I left, it was wonderful. Sophie even got a really good long walk once I got here.

So to all of you who have been sending crockpot chicken recipes. Tomorrow I'm giving it another try. I'll blog about the results. I've already got everything ready - a really nice hen and a good load of veggies to throw in on top. I'll bet the house smells scrumptious when I get home from work.

So here's the short of it,
Wow! It was like spring today!

And here's the long

Here's how spring is looking in the back yard herb garden!  

Golden Sage with the garden angel keeping watch.

The Rosemary overwintered very nicely and is taking her bushy shape.

The Lemon Thyme loved winter in the herb garden! Look how it's growing!

And we have some "wall flowers" - violets are some of my favorite spring flowers. 

And Lola is all about spring-time.  Here are some pictures of her frolicking on our platform bird feeder! It gets way too hot for her to be up there in the summertime, and in the winter, of course, it's way too cold. But the spring - Oh the springtime! For people and for kitties!

So here's the short of it,
The time is changing tonight.

And here's the long

Tonight the clock moves forward. The.Clock.  Not time. Of course, it seems like time is moving, but it's just us messing around with our relationship to the sun's daily passage from horizon to horizon
...and...
I.Don't.Like.It.

I think I like the Arizona folks take on this time thing.  Let's just figure it out once.  Spring time makes me so tired. And the older I get the less I like it. Alan told me to go to bed earlier. How does one do that? I have trouble getting to bed even when the clock is not changing. I'm glad we only have one week of school before I'll have some time to get caught up on sleep!

So here's the short of it, 
We ended the week in a really good way.

And here's the long

3/11/11 is supposed to be an auspicious day for good things to happen. So today ended the work week on a really good note. We made some progress at work on some plans that we've been trying to hatch for a long, long time. It's too early to really talk about it, but I'm very pleased.

It's such a pleasure to be home at the end of a long week looking forward to a quiet weekend to restore and get ready for one more week before it's time for spring break. I'm thinking spring break will be here just in time.

So here's the short of it, 
A good work day - then American Idol with Liga

And here's the long

At W. 40th street all day long! We had a good day with the new teachers. Lunch was potluck and there was lots of good stuff to eat. This is our last New Teacher Consortium for the year. So we are ready to think about what needs to be done differently next year.

Liga came over to do a load of laundry this evening and we watched American Idol. Around here lots of folks are talking about that Lauren Alaina. Her mother was/is a waitress at a little bar in East Ridge called Magoo's.  It seems that Lauren has been performing Karaoke there since she was 8 years old. They are having watch parties there every night that Idol comes on, I hear. I know that must be so much excitement for them as they've watched her grow up right in front of them. She made it through tonight to the next round, so we'll be hearing all the buzz around here about her for another week! One of our secretaries actually knows her because her son is in the same grade/same school. She's a source of great stories and I get to see a tip of the community's excitement about her success. There's also a news story on every time there's a program. It's great.

So here's the short of it,
I had a productive work day, and am looking forward to another one tomorrow. 

And here's the long

Today was a wet, rainy day and I had to be out in it. I'm really thankful for my wonderful raincoat. It's not too heavy; it's really good and waterproof, and it's got a great hood. All those things mean that I'm able to travel about, get out of the car with my arms full, and make it into a school building without getting soaked. I just never have learned to use an umbrella with any grace.  I think my work for the last 25 years moving from building to building - always with stuff to carry - trained me out of umbrella use.

This morning I made a crock pot chicken recipe. I love having dinner hot in the crock pot when I come home after work. This recipe had a layer of rice on the bottom. It was not particularly good. It's a really good thing that Alan is not a picky eater. He'll finish up the left-overs for lunches with no trouble at all.  I'm going to keep on trying though until I get at least two chicken crock pot recipes that Alan and I both like!

Sophie got her walk tonight. She is getting such an independent spirit. When she was little and I'd take her out for a walk off leash she'd mostly stay really close to me and I had no trouble getting her to come in when I called. Now she just looks at me. I can almost hear her saying "really, Mom we've only been outside a little while. I'm just not ready to go in yet."  Anyway I had to get in to the restroom (another blog topic about the long lasting effects of chemo) and I forgot that she was outside! (forgetting things is another blog topic about the long lasting effects of Chemo). She eventually came and scratched on the door to get inside. But she had rolled in something SO stinky! I didn't have time to bathe her, so I sprayed her down with Febreeze fabric cleaner  It not quite as gross as it was.

Tomorrow we lead teachers are working with New Teachers all day tomorrow. It should be a good day. I'm getting sleepy a little earlier than usual this week - that's a good thing. I'm going to get myself in bed in just a little so I'll be good to go tomorrow.

So here's the short of it, 
It's a rainy night in Georgia (just over the line) and here in Tennessee too.

And here's the long

We were out to dinner with Mom tonight.  As we were leaving she got a phone call from Elizabeth.  She had an ultrasound today and it looks like she and Josh are having a little girl!  She'll be arriving sometime around the first of August. 


It started raining sometime before I left the office this afternoon at about 4:30. It's a cold and of course wet rain and it's supposed to rain all night and all day tomorrow. I know I need to dress in warm clothes, wear my raincoat with a hood, and carry a big umbrella.  I've got appointments all over the county tomorrow and there will be lots of getting in and out of the car.

Sophie is stretched out on the sofa with her head on a pillow. She's snoozing away and just waiting for me to head to the bed so that she can come with me and get her night treat and settle in for a good long sleep. She isn't the least bit interested in heading out to patrol the back fence before we go to bed as she often does. And I sure don't blame her.

So here's the short of it, 
I'm watching a program about A.D.D.

And here's the long

It's a Monday, and it was a good working day, but a long one. We had a staff meeting after work and I didn't get home til about 7:00. I've got a busy day tomorrow too, actually I've got a really busy week, but I'm one of the lucky ones.  I like my work. No, I love my work. I feel like I do make a difference for kids.

I talked to Mom on the way home tonight and she was really concerned about me working so late. She had been reading the blog, and apparently I frequently say that I'm tired. She thought I'm tired all the time. I suppose I must be giving that impression.  I realized that since I write the blog at 10, 11, or 12 o'clock at night, that I am tired! But, no, I'm not tired all the time. I'm tired at night before it's time to go to bed though.  Right now I'm yawning and sleepy and thinking that my pillow is going to feel really nice.

But right now, I'm watching a program on Georgia Public Radio about A.D.D. It's called A.D.D. and Loving It.  I've known for a long, long time that I have A.D.D.! This is a really good program. I would highly recommend it for anyone who thinks they or someone they know may have this.

Here's a great website http://www.addrc.org/add-and-loving-it/ 

So here's the short of it,

Tonight I went to an informal memorial service for Quartez  Sanders.

And here's the long

One of the High School Project Explore students died suddenly last week - Quartez Sanders
He died of cardiac difficulties at 23 years old. 

Funeral arrangements had not been forthcoming. So this evening a group of his friends met in front of Academy Sports, his last employer. It was a lovely memorial service held in front of the store. It was nice of the store to agree to let there be a service there.

Several people brought pictures. I hadn't seen Quartez in years, but I remembered him as a very gentle and kind young man.  It was obvious that he touched the hearts of many people young and old. He was friends with Kalie, Valdis' girlfriend.  They had worked together for a couple of years at Rack Room.  Liga and Valdis both remembered him from Project Explore days.

As you read this, take a moment to honor the life of Quartez Sanders.

So here's the short of it,

Home after a day trip to Atlanta. 

And here's the long

Today was a lovely shower for Meredith and Ben. I drove down to Atlanta with Liga and Valdis and Kalie. It was a great day. We made a trip to Phipps plaza so that Liga could  make a visit to Intimacy.  It was a good trip, but Kalie and Valdis didn't find anything and we ended up not having enough time to go to a different store.

We got to Steve and Pat's house in time for a short visit with cousins and babies before time to go to the shower. I got a good visit in with almost 2 year old Madison and 5 month old Jacob.  They are both just as cute as they can be. Jacob is sure having lots to say!  It was great to get to see them.

The wedding shower was absolutely lovely. Meredith and Ben are really sweet together and they seem to have a really good relationship. Ben's parents from Tallahassee, Florida came up and we all got to meet them as well. May 29th will be here before we know it and Ben and Meredith will be Mr. and Mrs.

The drive down was in a light rain, and at about Acworth, we passed a horrible accident on the other side of the freeway.  It looked like someone must have been hurt very badly if not killed. Accidents always make me pause to think -- and always make me sad to think that some family has lost someone.

The drive back home was in much worse rain. It wasn't so bad most of the time, but several times the rain got very hard and driving was difficult. I'm glad to be home; I'm tired; and I'm off to bed soon.

Thanks to Liga, Valdis and Kalie for your great company on today's trip.

So here's the short of it, 
Good Night - I'm so tired!

And here's the long
 
Oh my, I am so glad that it's Friday!  This morning I was out in schools, and didn't get into the office until almost 2 this afternoon. I've got so many things going on with a pretty close deadline. I'm tired! Can't wait to crawl into the bed here in a bit.

Tomorrow Liga, Valdis, and Kalie are going with me to Atlanta for a wedding shower/BBQ to a wedding shower for Meredith and Ben.  Meredith is Steve and Pat's last unmarried daughter! I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. So I'm getting up early even though it's Saturday so that we can get on the road in time to do all the things we've got planned.

We went to the First Friday service and dinner at Temple tonight. It was a lovely evening, with a sermon on the value of teachers! and how the politics going on now are demeaning to teachers! Then on to a lovely dinner!.

So here's the short of it, 
I had a nice visit with a former student today.

And here's the long

Today I had a nice opportunity to visit with a former student. Brandon was a 7th grader when he and his Mom moved to Hamilton County and he enrolled at 21st Century Academy.  Brandon's life path intersected with Karen Claypool as his German teacher - and from there to a year abroad as an exchange student during high school.  He went to college at UTC, and then decided to move to Germany to finish his education. He's finished his Bachelor's degree in Germany in Engineering and is working on his PhD in an Engineering speciality using lasers to measure stuff! 

It's nice to see a young man like Brandon all grown up and living out his dreams.  Here he is with his sweet and beautiful wife Stefanie and his 3 year old daughter Celina. She's already speaking both German and English - way to go Brandon and Stefanie!

So here's the short of it, 
I didn't work today.

And here's the long

I spent the morning at the hospital with Alan. It was time for his routine colonoscopy. His doctor is a great guy. I taught his kid for a couple of years - that kid is now married and finishing up law school! It was nice to get a quick visit in with him. Alan had a great report! So he's good for the next five years in that department!

I took the rest of the day off since I had a physical therapy appointment in the afternoon. I'm making good progress with my ankle. It's getting more and more flexible. Ever since Monday, my ankle has been popping like a knuckle popping. My physical therapist says if it's not hurting when it happens it's nothing to worry about. So I'll keep on working on my balance, my strength, and my gait. I'm still scooting my feet some when I walk especially when I'm tired. But I'm more aware of it and I'm working on it whenever I think of it.

Sophie loves having me not working - she got two really long walks out on the circle today. That means of course I got two walks in for me too!  Hurray.  I'm back at it tomorrow, a pretty regular day - a meeting at the office first thing, an IEP meeting in an elementary school, check back by another school, then end up back at the office. I'm looking forward to the end of the day - a former student who now lives in Germany is back for a visit with his wife and 3 year old daughter. I'm going to have a coffee with them. I'm looking forward to meeting his family.

So here's the short of it, 
Yucky tummy day.

And here's the long

I didn't feel well this morning. I was nauseous again this morning. It didn't get any better as I got up and moved around so I finally decided to go back to bed for awhile. I hope I'm not getting that stomach bug so many people have been complaining about. It sounds like it's pretty miserable. I got up and made it to work by lunchtime. I wish I had felt like going in this morning - I have so much to get done, and couldn't really afford the time away. But it is what it is. I couldn't eat much lunch - I did a little better at dinner time, but I can really tell something is not quite right with my tummy. I have a sick day tomorrow. Alan is having a procedure and then I have physical therapy and another Dr. visit, so that will tie up my whole day! I'm going to try to be OK with not going to work tomorrow. There's always another day!

This afternoon/evening was so dramatically different than yesterday. The sky was clear, the weather was nice. By the time I got home this evening, the neighbors and dogs were out in force. Sophie has a nice long play with all of her friends and some new ones to boot. She got to chase three squirrels - still hasn't caught one though, thank goodness! I got to do lots of walking too! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather and upping the amount of exercise time for both of us.

Tonight, I'm going to try to get to bed a little early, maybe a little rest will tame the bad tummy.