All Moved In - Sort Of

Well, it's been awhile, but I think it's ok to take a minute and blog.

We are all moved in...sort of. If you can say that sleeping in a bedroom that's freshly repaired, spackled, painted and very clean, yet with suitcases and assorted storage containers piled up "moved in", then we are.

So much has been accomplished, yet there's so much still to do.

So, how did you spend your Christmas vacation away from school?

We spent ours MOVING!

And I think it's safe to say we'll spend the February break UNPACKING and trying to settle in.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, dear Blogworld! I am so happy to have a day off from moving!
We did our annual family dinner on Christmas Eve, which is just the way I like it, allowing little
people the chance to play with new things in relaxation, not amidst scurryings to get ready for
something.

I have hauled a ton of stuff curbside, and am hoping the town's gonna do the Friday pick up
tomorrow. I still have some stuff at my dad's for sale if anybody's interested:
waterbed $100
upright piano $200
30' Silverton cabin cruiser $200

and, in Calverton
full size schoolbus converted into an RV...absolutely perfect inside, outside needs work. Please come and buy this severely reduced baby so we can move! No reasonable offer refused!

Merry, Merry, Christmas to one and all,

and a Happy Hanukkah, too.

Cleaning, Sorting, Blah Blah Blah

So, I'm trying to get ready for the Big Move. Yuck. I absolutely hate moving. As if December doesn't have enough going on, already. I wish I could just fast-forward to the first week of February, and all this was just a memory of great success!

You never realize how many things you save, until you look at those things and say, "In my deepest heart of hearts, is this thing worth packing and moving and then finding a new place for?" As a teacher, I do accumulate a lot of stuff, all to be used for school projects. I also have 3 sets of encyclopedias. One set we actually bought for No. One Son many eons ago, and two I inherited when another school was throwing them out. (I just can't stand to see good books thrown away.) So, I've decided to regift them to the school I'm currently working in. (I recall a 4th grade teacher recently bemoaning to me their lack thereof...so...Happy Holidays, Mrs. M., hear ya go! The last set will be used for my students.)

My goal today, after I'm done with a mountain of paperwork I am currently taking a break from, is to fill up two big garbage cans outside with non-give-awayable stuff. There shall be freebies on the curb soon, too.

ok

back to work

sigh

Again?

So, yeah, I'm whining again. About precipitation, again. I know we need rain for all the various reasons, but a big chunk of my day is spent outdoors, schlepping from building to building on our campus. I have been soaked to the skin repeatedly. My shoes all look like the dog chewed on them, I'm getting an earache from the wind pounding me on that side, and my hair??? I'm trying to remember the last Good-Hair Day I had. So, yes, I am thankful we don't have drought, and that it's not hail or sleet, or feet of snow, but...


sigh...

I'm sorry, I'm just so tired of being soggy and cold.


brrrr

Precipitation

Ummm...

Can we please knock it off with the precipitation, already? I left the house this morning in snow, which turned to hail, then rain, then sleet, then rain again...oh, no...sleet...back and forth, back and forth...driving with the wipers on, with the defroster on...getting soggier with every stop...

I'm tired of walking around in soggy clothes and squishy shoes.

Just sayin'...

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

I am feeling very bittersweet pangs on the morning of this, our last Thanksgiving in this house. In the middle of complex issues, we will be moving very soon...less than 20 miles away, but a move is a move. This little house has been a godsend to us in so many ways. A blessing. As annoyed as I got with its 100-year-old issues, the good has far outweighed the bad.

I am thankful for my little family, and my extended one. We have weathered many storms of late, and have survived.

I am thankful that I have successfully entered my new career field and become gainfully employed, and that I have gone from student to teacher, both K-12 and college.

I am thankful for my health, and that of most of my family.

I am thankful for the many friends, contacts, and resources that have been here to help during recent crises.

And I am thankful for the food in my kitchen, ready to share with loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

Forgiveness

I am currently dealing with a complicated and complex family issue which is consuming 'way too much of my time, energy and resources. Got an email from an old friend that, along with co-miserating, suggested that this season of my life might be a time used for dealing with forgiveness...of issues that go back many many years.

And, I agree.

But I find that forgiveness is a process, not a one-time act. And, for me, there seem to be layers, like with an onion. You deal with one forgiveness issue, and then a memory pops up, which presents its own bitterness baggage, and I must face and forgive that incident, that thing that created specific problems, started dominoes falling...and then, SMACK!, there's another memory of another incident that requires forgiveness, which leads to another layer...and so on...and so on.

And, I find this whole process rather uncomfortable.

Just thought I'd share.

Still Alive

Yikes! It's been a whole month since I've posted. Doesn't feel that long. Life is just zipping by.

Been absolutely swamped with family paperwork issues...I hate this, dread this...taxes and forms for all kinds of things, that shoulda been done a while ago, but I kept putting off...appointments for things I don't want to deal with. Yuck. It's a full-time job trying to do this part of my life, on top of the 1 1/2 full-time jobs I already have!

And, thanks to new medical benefits (yay!) we are all going to lots of doctor appointments for things that have been put off 'til we could afford it. (How do you say, "I love my new root canal?" like you mean it?)

Misprint

For some very odd reason, the title last posted here for my blog, on NorthForkBloggers, came from a partial blog-post I never finished and never posted...and the last one I did post, on The Shoe Books, never showed up on NFB. If you click on the misprint title, you get told it doesn't exist.

Very odd. Very, very odd.

So, sorry for this misprint. Please read about the Shoe books, and comment!

The Shoe Books

Ever since I saw You've Got Mail (the first time) I've wanted to check out the "shoe" books. Remember the part of the movie, after Meg Ryan's character has already lost her little bookstore to the big Barnes and Noble-type, where's she's just browsing around, like a customer and ends up in the children's section? A customer asks one of the sales-kids (who has no knowledge of anything bookish whatsoever) about the "shoe books," and Meg pipes up with the author and the titles.

Well, I finally got to them, I don't know how many years later. (I love that movie, and I've seen it several times.) Even tho' I am still plowed under with necessary reading for my school jobs, I just had to squeeze them in.


So far, I have read Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes and Theater Shoes. (Sorry, I can't figure out how to underline these titles with this program.) I got them through interlibrary loan, of course, and you can, too! I am waiting for Dancing Shoes to come in, but I expect it to be just as lovely as the first two.

I recommend these books particularly for girls (altho' Theater Shoes could be for a boy,) probably between the ages of 8-13, depending upon reading ability. They're really good stories, intelligent, and moral without being preachy, if you know what I mean.

j-m's rating: **** (4 stars!)

:)

Ahhh - Choo!

I have been sneezing and sniffling and itchy-eyed for days. I thought I was sick with an early cold, but then bumped into a few people (and, quite literally "bumped" into them...my head is in such a fog I can't think straight) who are complaining about their allergies. And since the roof of my mouth and my eyes are so itchy, it must be allergies. But I don't usually get allergies now. What's up with this?

And I apologize to everyone to whom I have been excessively cranky (particularly those closest to me), and I'd like to say that I'm as disappointed as everyone else that our lovely plans got ruined (by more than just the allergies.) And I would like to apologize to the poor drivers stuck behind me for the past few days. I keep forgetting where I'm going, and practically veer off the road when in the middle of a sneezing fit.

I would like to thank Kleenex for their generous support, and would like to tell all the pharmaceutical companies that they really need to get their collective act together and make a product that will remove the effects of allergies without making one into a zombie.

And I would like to know why I left my wallet home when I went out to the store on an errand that absolutely had to be run and which I absolutely did not want to go on. I knew, when I took my wallet out of my purse, to check my library card for the phone number of the library, that it was a stupid thing to do, and that I would end up forgetting my wallet, which I NEVER do, and leave it on the computer desk...which is exactly what I did. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot of said errand-destination, I realized the wallet was home. And realized, forthwith, that my pockets were empty, there was no hidden change in the little pockets of my purse, and the cupholder was empty as well. With a deep sigh of frustration (for now I had no time to re-run the errand, which I had barely time to complete as it was), I headed back home. And, as soon as I pulled into the driveway, I realized that I had a bank envelope in my purse containing $30 cash, which would have been plenty of money for the errand-running.

Sigh.

Just thought I'd share.

Sniff.

Statue of Liberty

Ok, little Readership, whoever you are...

I am looking for info and can't find it on the huge Web. I want to see if the Statue of Liberty will be open on Columbus Day. I'm assuming it closes on holidays.

Anybody know or can help???

More Farm Outings

D.H., Little Sir and I tried to go peach picking at Davis 2 weeks ago, but the crowds were insane! By the time we got through the lines, they'd closed the U-pick peach orchard, and had the next section roped off. Those weren't ready yet. We coulda picked plums, but we figured out the price per pound and it was definitely NOT worth it. Plus, it was just wall-to-wall people. Sort of puts a cramp in that whole going-to-the-farm feeling.

So, since we'd had our hearts set on picking, we decided to find SOMETHING to pick. We settled on a smaller farm which had tomatoes, eggplants and peppers $1 a pound. We had a great time, and there were lots of varieties...much more than we'd planted in our garden, which is pretty much done for the season, with the exception of a few tomato stragglers who will be used as fried green tomatoes (mmmmm!) The cherry tomatoes were especially yummy, and have kept well in the fridge. Still haven't used up all of the eggplants, but the bigger tomatoes have been turned into sauces and soups.

But I keep thinkin' about those peaches. I really wanted to pick a big basketful and make compote and things. Think there're any peaches left on trees around here? I think we'll try again.

Apple Picking

I can't believe it's been over 2 weeks since I've written in this blog! The school/work schedule has kept me runnin', in more ways than one. I have been very grateful for the Jewish holidays, (altho' our school only gave us 1 day off last week, and then this Thurs. coming up.) Have to be back on Fri, then off Mon. Isn't that crazy? Why can't they just give us Fri. off, too, since most of the kids won't show up anyway and the teachers won't really do a full teaching day, due to that, and give us a 5 day weekend. Would that kill anybody?

DD, Little Sir and I had a glorious day on our day off, apple picking. We crammed so much into that one day, but it was absolutely worth it. We went to our favorite apple orchard, White Cap Farm, which belongs to the Milk Pail's Halseys.

After picking (and eating!) our favorite varieties, we headed back to the Milk Pail. They were just making fresh batches of their incredible apple donuts, so, of course, we bought a bag. We also got a few gallons of their fresh pressed apple cider and amazing cheddar. DD liked the softer one, and I love the hard, sharp cheddar. Both go great with fresh sliced apples. We also bought something new, an apple cinnamon maple syrup, with a cinnamon stick floating in it. I can't wait to try in on apple-stuffed french toast. Mmmm.

We enjoyed some apple-peach cider and warm apple donuts in the car on the drive home. (Little Sir ate 3! Guess he really worked up an appetite.)

I went back to work refreshed and feeling like I could deal with all the stresses there again.

I've also noticed that Little Sir has been happily eating those apples. He was never great about eating fruit, but since he picked these, they seem more appealing to him. Nice perk.

Happy Autumn, everybody. Enjoy these beautiful days ahead, luxuriate in the foliage, and bask in the sunshine while you can, before the daylight hours shrink down too low. I feel like making a happy little pumpkin arrangement. How 'bout you?

First Lady?

Reading some others' blogs lately has gotten me thinking. Of course, politics is on everyone's mind these days, as well as Shearson Lehman's demise, AIG and all that other scary stuff. But I have recently been thinking of the media coverage of Michelle Obama. It suddenly occurred to me that, all other issues aside, if I had to vote solely on who was to be First Lady, my choice would be abundantly clear.

Now, who would YOU want in that role? Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain?

And my mind runs to other of the world's women of power, or women of special significance (politically, spiritually and otherwise,) in no particular order, but the one they've popped into my head in:

Golda Meir
Benazir Bhutto
Eleanor Roosevelt
Margaret Thatcher
Angela Merkel
Michelle Bachelet
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Mother Teresa
Indira Ghandi
Gladys Aylward
Catherine Booth
Corrie ten Boom
Maya Angelou
Lady Diana
Joan Baez...

I could keep this up for hours...

Whether or not you react in the same way I do when you read these names, is not the point. I am not holding any up to be objects of perfection. The point is, each of these women has had a particularly significant role to play, and has touched the lives of untold numbers of people. Which of the two listed above shall we add to the list? Would one of them even be worthy to be mentioned in the same breath?



(My apologies for any misspellings in this post...too tired to check anything at the moment.)

Batten Down the Hatches

Watching the news from storm to storm makes me wonder. Are we gonna get hit this season? We've had some particularly brutal thunderstorms over the past few months, with some pretty heavy winds. And they were just storms. One ripped our shed right off the foundation and threw it across the yard...everything inside scattered in twenty different directions. Now, we have noplace to hide the garbage pails from the raccoons, who'll even rip into the paper recyclable pail...you'd think they could smell which one really holds food. Anyway...get ready, it's hurricane season!

School-Dazed

I have been incapable of blogging since school started (Aug. 21st, actually, for me, as our crazy school required teachers to be back then!) I thought I was busy before, but now I am teaching until 4 pm, then off to my other 2 jobs. Yes, two. I just accepted an adjunct-professorship, last-minute (in addition to my private music students.) This is absolutely crazy. But I have been trying to get into this college for awhile now, so when opportunity came knocking, I gave it a very warm welcome, shoved lots of other stuff aside, and...take a deep breath...diving into the deep end of the pool.

Wow. I are intelligent and I are a college professor!

Highlights of Summer 2008

Here's my list of this summer's highlights:
1. Memorial Day at the Bronx Zoo with DH and Little Sir (seeing them ride the camel together was the best!)
2. Running on the beach in the evening with DD and Little Sir.
3. Little beach get-togethers with DD and Little Sir, sometimes with friends, in between work shifts for us ladies.
4. DH getting a promotion!
5. Getting free tickets to Splish Splash and going spur-of-the-moment with DD and Little Sir...his first time!
6. 4th of July fireworks on the River front (on the 5th of July!) with friends.
7. BBQ with my Stony Brook grad buddies and all of our kids...I actually made a bunch of new career-friends, who will be my professional contacts for many years to come.
8. My birthday celebrated by an amazing dinner (DD's treat!...she shocked me) at Edgewater Restaurant in Hampton Bays, with my dad and his girlfriend, DD, DH, Little Sir and me. (No. One Son was away in Chicago at a wedding.)
9. DH getting an incredible deal on a used car.
10. Finishing my first-ever job of teaching special ed ESL summer school. I made connections with some awesome kids, learned a lot about this kind of teaching, and about myself!
11. The Long Island Game Farm with my dad and his girlfriend and Little Sir. (His little face, as he got to pet and feed the deer, sheep and goats was priceless!)

One not-highlight, but a prayer of thanksgiving:
Number One Son walked away from a terrible car crash with only minor injuries. The Jeep is dead, but it's replaceable. He is not.



Now, it's your turn. What are your Highlights of Summer 2008? (No fair just reading and not commenting.)

Last Day Off

Well, I had planned to do lots of fun things with Little Sir before I had to report for duty, but his allergies kicked in something fierce, and he ended up a very sick little boy. After living with the nebulizer, followed by steroids to get the lungs under control, he's now on Singulair which is better than previous meds. We lost a week of play time, tho', and he hasn't been to karate all month.

But, Wednesday was my last day to play, and we took my dad up on his offer to take us to the Long Island Game Farm. He's been asking us to set a date all summer. Wednesday's weather was perfect, and we had such a good time. I haven't been to the game farm in years, and I was surprised at how much they have there, now. The tiger show was great, and Little Sir was thrilled at how close he could get to all the animals. (We'd gone Memorial Day to the Bronx Zoo, and so many of the animal habitats there, while great for the animals, allow them to hide really effectively, making it disappointing as you trek across that campus to see your favorites. "All the good animals are sleeping!" he said.)

Probably the most fun was being able to pet and feed so many animals. He wants to go back really soon! I'm going to see if we can book it as a field trip for his school (it's $8.95 pp, group rate...about half price.) I'd definitely go as a chaperone for that one!

If you haven't been there recently, you should go. It's so close, only the Manorville exit, it's a shame not to.

Freedom

I hereby am thrilled to announce that I have completed teaching summer school 2008! Yay!!! I can't tell you how relieved I am that it is over. And sad that there's so little of summer left to celebrate in.

And, I have a "Professional Development" to attend in my school Aug. 21st. Sigh. Not much of a break in between.

I am starting to get a little excited about September, my little brain whirring with ideas, making lists, planning to clean out my school cabinet (at home) and get busy sorting and planning.

BUT...I want some summery break first!

I am so tired. Have to find something fun to do tonight with Little Sir.