We spent an unusually busy weekend here at Maple Grove and loved every minute of it. I've battled a pesky cough all week but didn't let it slow me this weekend.
Saturday afternoon, we helped our good friends pack and move. Terry tells an old joke, "there are friends, good friends, and friends you will help move." We are now "moving kind of friends" with John & Abbie. Their 4 year old son entertained us while we worked and we enjoyed our time together. The adage is true, when you help others you are blessed.
Saturday evening we joined old friends for a birthday party dinner. We used to spend holidays with this family but over the years had drifted apart. We remembered how much fun we always had together as we played "Fact or Crap". (Trivial Pursuit is our old favorite but the hostess didn't have the game.) Good times, good friends.
Sunday morning I went to mass and finally re-introduced myself to a woman I know at church. We worked together on an audit fifteen years ago. When I spoke to her, she said, "I thought that was you, but I didn't think you were Catholic." "I'm not," I replied and then we visited for about five minutes. I'm glad I did. Have I ever admitted how painfully shy I can be?
Sunday evening, Terry and I drove an hour to attend a Buddy Guy concert. Terry loves the blues and this summer spent a lot of time (when he was contemplating retirement, remember?) listening and learning a lot of blues. When he heard Buddy Guy was going to be so close, we had to go. We laughed about leaving our house at 6:00 to go to a concert that didn't start until 9:00 our time. It was wonderful. Guy is a gifted guitarist whose energy and stage presence are incredible. He's 73 years old! He left the stage to come down into the audience and eventually stood within five feet of our seats.
To top it all off, the weather was so beautiful here all weekend. Best we've had in over a month.
Blessings,
Sandy
Monday, November 09, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Life after Baseball
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
We watched every game of the World Series, at least the first five or six innings. Congratulations, Yankees fans. Luke was at Yankee stadium when they clinched the pennant against the Angels and really enjoyed the celebration. He sat in the bleachers, which he says is a world unto itself.
It was a great baseball season! Wait til next year, Cardinals fans.
I've been busy with my college work and substitute teaching two or three days a week. I've taught a lot of high school classes lately, which is good because it will count toward a college class.
Most interesting recent substitute moment:
I substituted for a first grade teacher last week. I've written before about the younger grades being a big challenge for me. Something I read in one of my college textbooks really helped me. The text had a case study where a teacher took over mid-year for a second grade class with poor discipline. Four teachers wrote suggestions for what the teacher should do to establish control. One of them mentioned taking time to sit down with the class every morning and reinforce the rules and expectations for behavior. The teacher suggested taking lots of time to establish boundaries and discipline in the first few weeks even if it meant not getting all the work done because it would pay off in the long run as the class would settle in to the expected behavior and be able to learn more later.
In the first grade class, there is a "morning math meeting" each day where students review the calendar and other daily routines set up in Saxon math. (I am thankful all the elementary schools where I teach use Saxon. I like it and it is very easy for a substitute to step in and teach because it is scripted and very well-organized.) Before we started the math meeting, I took a couple of minutes to remind the students that I was not Mrs. M, their regular teacher, and I might do things a little differently than she does. I told them I was familiar with her routine but if I forgot something or did something differently, it would be OK for that day. I gave them a signal I would use when they needed to be quiet and I talked about my expectations for a great day. You know what? It worked! We had a very good day and the kids responded really well to the quiet signal. Whew!
We've been enjoying the beautiful fall colors here and the crisp, cool weather. It's soup time in our house! Chili, potato soup, split pea soup, and chicken noodle soup all in the past week. All made from scratch (well, the chili uses canned chili beans and canned tomatoes). Mmm good.
What is your favorite soup?
Blessings,
Sandy
We watched every game of the World Series, at least the first five or six innings. Congratulations, Yankees fans. Luke was at Yankee stadium when they clinched the pennant against the Angels and really enjoyed the celebration. He sat in the bleachers, which he says is a world unto itself.
It was a great baseball season! Wait til next year, Cardinals fans.
I've been busy with my college work and substitute teaching two or three days a week. I've taught a lot of high school classes lately, which is good because it will count toward a college class.
Most interesting recent substitute moment:
I substituted for a first grade teacher last week. I've written before about the younger grades being a big challenge for me. Something I read in one of my college textbooks really helped me. The text had a case study where a teacher took over mid-year for a second grade class with poor discipline. Four teachers wrote suggestions for what the teacher should do to establish control. One of them mentioned taking time to sit down with the class every morning and reinforce the rules and expectations for behavior. The teacher suggested taking lots of time to establish boundaries and discipline in the first few weeks even if it meant not getting all the work done because it would pay off in the long run as the class would settle in to the expected behavior and be able to learn more later.
In the first grade class, there is a "morning math meeting" each day where students review the calendar and other daily routines set up in Saxon math. (I am thankful all the elementary schools where I teach use Saxon. I like it and it is very easy for a substitute to step in and teach because it is scripted and very well-organized.) Before we started the math meeting, I took a couple of minutes to remind the students that I was not Mrs. M, their regular teacher, and I might do things a little differently than she does. I told them I was familiar with her routine but if I forgot something or did something differently, it would be OK for that day. I gave them a signal I would use when they needed to be quiet and I talked about my expectations for a great day. You know what? It worked! We had a very good day and the kids responded really well to the quiet signal. Whew!
We've been enjoying the beautiful fall colors here and the crisp, cool weather. It's soup time in our house! Chili, potato soup, split pea soup, and chicken noodle soup all in the past week. All made from scratch (well, the chili uses canned chili beans and canned tomatoes). Mmm good.
What is your favorite soup?
Blessings,
Sandy
Sunday, November 01, 2009
It's your birthday
Twenty-two years ago, also on a Sunday, my son Lucas was born. Nothing could have prepared me for the cataclysmic change of motherhood. It was wonderful!
Luke,
I wish you peace and happiness.
I wish you wisdom and guidance for your life, so full of promise
I wish you many winning Cardinal baseball seasons
I wish you love, joy, and kindness
I wish you God's richest blessings
Thanks for being such a wonderful young man and terrific son
Thanks for following God's leading, wherever it takes you
Thanks for sharing baseball obsession with me
Thanks for the music in our lives
Thanks for the joy you bring
Love and Happy Birthday!
Mom
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Use it up, wear it out
This post by Headmistress at The Common Room set me to thinking about the oldest things I own. Here are the few oldest that came to mind. Note I am not talking about the age of the object, as in antiques I've purchased at auctions, but the age of the object as in how long I've owned it or can trace it directly to a family member.
Sears food processor circa 1979. I use it several times a year and it still works though it's missing the part that holds down the stuff you are chopping. My brother Alan gave it to me as a gift for my first marriage.
Barbie doll clothes case filled with handmade doll clothing, for regular sized dolls, and two doll-bed sized quilts all made by my mom as a Christmas gift for me in 1965 or '66. I gave them to Cassie in 1996. They are in storage in our basement awaiting her daughters-to-be.
Two dresses sewed by my Mom (seeing a theme here?) when I was a teenager. Cassie wore one for a Halloween costume a couple of years ago.
NOEL candle figurines purchased by my Grandma in the 1940s. How I treasure them.
A tiny photograph of my Dad, taken when he was in Germany during WWII. I have no idea how I wound up with this but I'm so glad I did.
The tea set purchased by my Mom for her brother and his wife in 1947. Aunt Myrtle sent this to me last summer, much to my delight.
Hand-pieced, hand-quilted quilts made by each of my Grandmas. The one made by Grandma H., who died in 1976 and made the quilt at least a couple of years before then, is very worn. We use quilts in my family and this one has been washed many, many times over the years.
Aprons, pillowcases, tablecloths and rugs made by my Grandma Smith. They were made from the 1960s to the 1980s.
All of these things, except the tea set and the things made by Grandma Smith, were packed around by me and moved nine times from 1981 until 1996 when they settled with us here at Maple Grove. There were a few things lost along the way including a set of Grandma H.'s dishes which were smashed in shipment during our move back from California in 1987.
What are the oldest items you have?
Blessings,
Sandy
Sears food processor circa 1979. I use it several times a year and it still works though it's missing the part that holds down the stuff you are chopping. My brother Alan gave it to me as a gift for my first marriage.
Barbie doll clothes case filled with handmade doll clothing, for regular sized dolls, and two doll-bed sized quilts all made by my mom as a Christmas gift for me in 1965 or '66. I gave them to Cassie in 1996. They are in storage in our basement awaiting her daughters-to-be.
Two dresses sewed by my Mom (seeing a theme here?) when I was a teenager. Cassie wore one for a Halloween costume a couple of years ago.
NOEL candle figurines purchased by my Grandma in the 1940s. How I treasure them.
A tiny photograph of my Dad, taken when he was in Germany during WWII. I have no idea how I wound up with this but I'm so glad I did.
The tea set purchased by my Mom for her brother and his wife in 1947. Aunt Myrtle sent this to me last summer, much to my delight.
Hand-pieced, hand-quilted quilts made by each of my Grandmas. The one made by Grandma H., who died in 1976 and made the quilt at least a couple of years before then, is very worn. We use quilts in my family and this one has been washed many, many times over the years.
Aprons, pillowcases, tablecloths and rugs made by my Grandma Smith. They were made from the 1960s to the 1980s.
All of these things, except the tea set and the things made by Grandma Smith, were packed around by me and moved nine times from 1981 until 1996 when they settled with us here at Maple Grove. There were a few things lost along the way including a set of Grandma H.'s dishes which were smashed in shipment during our move back from California in 1987.
What are the oldest items you have?
Blessings,
Sandy
Saturday, October 24, 2009
The West Wing in Indiana
The West Wing is one of Luke's favorite TV shows. He's watched all the old episodes online. This episode takes place in Indiana. Three of President Bartlet's aides miss the campaign flight and are left behind to catch them at the next stop. This clip is hilarious, especially for those of us who live in and near Indiana.
YES, WE CHANGE OUR WATCHES ON OUR COMMUTE!!
Heh, heh.
I wrote about our time zone issues here and here and here.
My cell phone changes time as I change time zones. At least fifteen times a day, I get a message on my phone asking if I want to update to the new time zone. Sometimes I get this message after driving six miles to the town where I substitute teach. Sometimes I've walked from one end of our house to the other. Sometimes I haven't moved at all.
I'm pretty good at making time zone adjustments automatically if they involve something I do on a regular basis. My teaching assignments and most of my doctor appointments are on Central time and I adjust the time when I enter it on my calendar, which I keep on Eastern time since all our clocks at home are on Eastern time. The church where I attend mass most often is on Central time and I mentally convert to Eastern time in my memory for the Sunday morning mass I usually attend. Once in awhile we decide to go to Saturday vigil mass, though, and I always have to look up the time and convert it to Eastern time because I cannot trust my memory.
One big advantage of living here is all my teaching assignments start at 9:00 a.m. on my Eastern time schedule. I'm not a morning person and the extra hour in the morning helps tremendously. I realize it's only a psychological difference, and my 6:30 alarm time is really 5:30 in the time zone where I have to be at school at 8:00 a.m. I can't think about that, though, cause 5:30 is too early for me. Heh heh.
Blessings,
Sandy
YES, WE CHANGE OUR WATCHES ON OUR COMMUTE!!
Heh, heh.
I wrote about our time zone issues here and here and here.
My cell phone changes time as I change time zones. At least fifteen times a day, I get a message on my phone asking if I want to update to the new time zone. Sometimes I get this message after driving six miles to the town where I substitute teach. Sometimes I've walked from one end of our house to the other. Sometimes I haven't moved at all.
I'm pretty good at making time zone adjustments automatically if they involve something I do on a regular basis. My teaching assignments and most of my doctor appointments are on Central time and I adjust the time when I enter it on my calendar, which I keep on Eastern time since all our clocks at home are on Eastern time. The church where I attend mass most often is on Central time and I mentally convert to Eastern time in my memory for the Sunday morning mass I usually attend. Once in awhile we decide to go to Saturday vigil mass, though, and I always have to look up the time and convert it to Eastern time because I cannot trust my memory.
One big advantage of living here is all my teaching assignments start at 9:00 a.m. on my Eastern time schedule. I'm not a morning person and the extra hour in the morning helps tremendously. I realize it's only a psychological difference, and my 6:30 alarm time is really 5:30 in the time zone where I have to be at school at 8:00 a.m. I can't think about that, though, cause 5:30 is too early for me. Heh heh.
Blessings,
Sandy
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mortality and Home
Terry and I watched "The Family Stone" last night on Netflix. The movie is four years old now, but I'll issue a spoiler alert. I thought the movie would be a family-drama/comedy. I love family dramas. In addition, though, the movie had a deeper theme of a mother's role in her family. The movie spans one year in the life of the Stone family. The first year, Sybil Stone, played by Diane Keaton, welcomes her five children and their significant others home for Christmas. Lots of family drama and comedy follow and a few deeper themes develop. We learn that Sybil has breast cancer and she's just received news that her prognosis isn't good.
The second Christmas scene opens with the kids arriving home with a few new significant others. I began sobbing as I guessed the plot's development. Sybil is gone and her family faces their first Christmas without her. Sigh. The movie didn't devolve to melodrama and the final scene was sad without being sappy. Still, my own private therapy session required a good cry outside under the stars while Duke took his bedtime potty break.
For any new readers at Maple Grove, I should explain that my Mother died when I was 18. Cancer took her life just two years after it claimed her Mother's life. Grandma and Mom loved Christmas and made our holidays special. It took years for me to fully appreciate and enjoy the holiday again.
Sybil Stone's family wasn't "perfect". One of the sons was deaf and homosexual. Another son smoked a lot of pot and seemed aimless. Their family interaction was messy and a bit too open about private things for my taste. Still, they loved each other and Sybil was at the heart of the family home. The warmth and comfort they enjoyed as a family shined through the drama.
As I wiped my tears under the starry sky last night, I realized again the hidden blessings of my mother's early death. Her life and early death made me a much better mother than I otherwise might be. Creating a home for my family was a top priority partly for the selfish reason of needing to replace my own childhood home. My mom's example of "always being there" provided a model for my own parenting style of putting home and family above career and social opportunities. Our decisions to move to a house in the country, hold family dinner times sacrosanct and treasure quantities of family time together all stemmed from my childhood memories of home.
Thanks, Mom, for making a home for us. I humbly hope and pray and believe my children and husband feel the same way about me.
Blessings,
Sandy
The second Christmas scene opens with the kids arriving home with a few new significant others. I began sobbing as I guessed the plot's development. Sybil is gone and her family faces their first Christmas without her. Sigh. The movie didn't devolve to melodrama and the final scene was sad without being sappy. Still, my own private therapy session required a good cry outside under the stars while Duke took his bedtime potty break.
For any new readers at Maple Grove, I should explain that my Mother died when I was 18. Cancer took her life just two years after it claimed her Mother's life. Grandma and Mom loved Christmas and made our holidays special. It took years for me to fully appreciate and enjoy the holiday again.
Sybil Stone's family wasn't "perfect". One of the sons was deaf and homosexual. Another son smoked a lot of pot and seemed aimless. Their family interaction was messy and a bit too open about private things for my taste. Still, they loved each other and Sybil was at the heart of the family home. The warmth and comfort they enjoyed as a family shined through the drama.
As I wiped my tears under the starry sky last night, I realized again the hidden blessings of my mother's early death. Her life and early death made me a much better mother than I otherwise might be. Creating a home for my family was a top priority partly for the selfish reason of needing to replace my own childhood home. My mom's example of "always being there" provided a model for my own parenting style of putting home and family above career and social opportunities. Our decisions to move to a house in the country, hold family dinner times sacrosanct and treasure quantities of family time together all stemmed from my childhood memories of home.
Thanks, Mom, for making a home for us. I humbly hope and pray and believe my children and husband feel the same way about me.
Blessings,
Sandy
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
What to do when there's no baseball
Tonight is the first night I've REALLY MISSED baseball. I know the playoffs resume tomorrow and I'll probably watch both the ALCS and the NLCS. It's not the same though, when the Cardinals aren't playing. Having watched and/or listened to roughly 170 baseball games since April 1, it's a bit hard to get used to life without baseball.
My college studies take a great deal of time and I'm thankful to have more of it without baseball.
I had a small health worry this week and spent extra time in prayer and quiet meditation. The worry was allayed today when the second mammogram came back "clear." God is good.
Luke and Cassie are very busy at their colleges. We text and/or talk at least once a day, but it doesn't take much time.
I'm scheduled to substitute teach Friday and three days next week. My worries about how to fill my free time are short-lived.
I started knitting new leg warmers for Cassie with yarn she picked out when I visited her a few weeks ago. The 1x1 ribbing at one end of the first leg warmer is now done so the straight knitting should go quickly.
Duke takes a few minutes each day. I hope to walk him again tomorrow. It's been rainy and cold the last two days and I've taken him out for necessary business but he know's he's been short-changed on the complete walk.
My favorite baseball quote, from the St. Louis scoreboard:
Blessings,
Sandy
My college studies take a great deal of time and I'm thankful to have more of it without baseball.
I had a small health worry this week and spent extra time in prayer and quiet meditation. The worry was allayed today when the second mammogram came back "clear." God is good.
Luke and Cassie are very busy at their colleges. We text and/or talk at least once a day, but it doesn't take much time.
I'm scheduled to substitute teach Friday and three days next week. My worries about how to fill my free time are short-lived.
I started knitting new leg warmers for Cassie with yarn she picked out when I visited her a few weeks ago. The 1x1 ribbing at one end of the first leg warmer is now done so the straight knitting should go quickly.
Duke takes a few minutes each day. I hope to walk him again tomorrow. It's been rainy and cold the last two days and I've taken him out for necessary business but he know's he's been short-changed on the complete walk.
My favorite baseball quote, from the St. Louis scoreboard:
People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby
Blessings,
Sandy
Meet Duke
WE HAVE A NEW DOG!
Meet Duke.
He's almost a year old and a Goldendoodle, cross between Golden Retriever and Poodle.
We started talking about a new dog a couple of months ago. I like the company and protection of a dog when Terry is out of town. Zeno died almost two years ago and we were ready to try again. This time, though, neither Terry nor I felt up to raising a puppy. We began thinking about a rescue dog and talked to a friend who volunteers with a local animal shelter.
Last week, Karen told us about Doodle. For the past year, I've coveted labradoodles and goldendoodles for their intelligence and non-shedding hair. I never dreamed we'd find one in need of rescue. Friday afternoon, Karen brought Doodle by Terry's office and said he was ours if we wanted him. His owners were going through a nasty divorce and Doodle's skittish behavior seems to indicate someone didn't treat him very nicely.
We renamed him Duke.
We fed him, watered him, bathed him, walked him, petted him, treated him with love but showed him our boundaries.
No doggies on the furniture in our house.
No doggies begging human food in our house.
Duke is a sweet, compliant dog. He no longer cowers when we call him. He's eating heartily and following our household rules. Terry calls him "Duke the dream dog." Duke is running a very strong competition to match Tar, "the best dog evah."
This morning, Duke and I are going to see our vet. He loves to ride in the car.
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Blessings,
Sandy
Meet Duke.
He's almost a year old and a Goldendoodle, cross between Golden Retriever and Poodle.
We started talking about a new dog a couple of months ago. I like the company and protection of a dog when Terry is out of town. Zeno died almost two years ago and we were ready to try again. This time, though, neither Terry nor I felt up to raising a puppy. We began thinking about a rescue dog and talked to a friend who volunteers with a local animal shelter.
Last week, Karen told us about Doodle. For the past year, I've coveted labradoodles and goldendoodles for their intelligence and non-shedding hair. I never dreamed we'd find one in need of rescue. Friday afternoon, Karen brought Doodle by Terry's office and said he was ours if we wanted him. His owners were going through a nasty divorce and Doodle's skittish behavior seems to indicate someone didn't treat him very nicely.
We renamed him Duke.
We fed him, watered him, bathed him, walked him, petted him, treated him with love but showed him our boundaries.
No doggies on the furniture in our house.
No doggies begging human food in our house.
Duke is a sweet, compliant dog. He no longer cowers when we call him. He's eating heartily and following our household rules. Terry calls him "Duke the dream dog." Duke is running a very strong competition to match Tar, "the best dog evah."
This morning, Duke and I are going to see our vet. He loves to ride in the car.
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Blessings,
Sandy
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