Locked Out

You all will laugh at me today. I decided to shred and freeze a bunch of zucchini I bought at the farmer's market and thus said well, I should clean out the freezer. So I took things out that were unidentified, or well past their dates so were freezer burned and headed out to the compost pile after defrosting them so they would slide out of containers. I slid the screen door closed and headed off to the the compost pile behind the large pine tree. Dumped everything and came back to the house, only to discover that the screen had latched and I was locked out. You will laugh and I wish I had a video of me trying to get the door open. I stuck my arm between the screen door and the glass door trying to reach the latch. Of course my arm was not long enough. So I looked around to see if there was anything I could use to lengthen my arm. On the grill sat a long handled spatula, AH HA! I stuck my arm back in between the two doors and spent about 10 minutes waving the spatula around beating on the inside of handle and first succeeded in pushing the latch further in, so I was really locked out. I tried wiggling the blade or flat part between the door and the wall to move the latch, no luck, then I went back to putting my arm inside with the spatula in hand and beating on the door, running it up and down trying to catch the latch and finally after another 10 minutes or so got the latch to release so I could get back in the house.

I am still trying to figure out how the door managed to lock.
My phone of course was in the house, the front door was locked, Bryce is who knows where in the state delivering and picking up luggage, and Tom was teaching. The neighbor with the spare key was teaching, and everyone else who could possibly help by giving me a ride to Central to get the key from Tom, was at work. That spatula is going to live on the grill table forever because I am not taking that chance again. I guess I should also take my keys out to the compost pile next time so I can get in the front door. Good thing it was a beautiful sunny day.

It's Back to School Time

     My favorite part of going back to school was setting up my classroom and the smell of new supplies.  The anticipation of new students and getting to know them and what made them tick.  This of course was before all this common core stuff. When you could teach what was required but at your own pace and in your own way. Everyone did not need to be on the same page in every classroom across the district.  I could spend more time on the Civil War and less on the War of 1812. More time on Women's Suffrage and less on the Era of Good Feelings and the Monroe Doctrine. I could use my knowledge to judge when it was time to move one and when it was time to delve deeper into topics based on student interaction and reactions to what we were studying.

     Do I miss the start of school? Sometimes. I miss setting up the classroom and the greeting of students on the first day, but I do not miss the meetings, the paperwork, the daily hassles that teachers have to deal with when they have severe behavior problem students who have never learned manners and appropriate behavior in prior years of schooling or from their parents. I also do not miss the parents who do not accept responsibility for their children and blame everything on the teachers, who are not at fault.

     Last year I was at school for the first student day and I really did enjoy that. I was filling in for a new math teacher who was hired the day before classes started and had to have time to move to Anchorage and get all his stuff in order with the district. I spent two weeks in his room and enjoyed starting the year off with a group of seventh graders.

     This year I am not subbing on the first day of school, but I already have a job lined up before the end of the month. I will be teaching English for a week.  I look forward to it.

     Today when I was out shopping I heard a mother tell her son that they needed to start shopping for school supplies. I would certainly hope so since school starts for students next Wednesday.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

     It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood was my thought this morning as I looked out the kitchen window this morning. The trees are green and the birds are singing and today teacher's are back at work.

     Even after three years of retirement, this being the fourth year my husband went back to work and I did not it feels good to be off today. Yes, I still was up or at least awake before he left the house, but I did not have to hurry off to sit through a day of boring inservices listening to people drone on about ethics, infectious diseases or as we often referred to it the hand washing lesson, child find, and the newer ones on suicide awareness and gender and race equity which are so boring and never really change.

    Today my plan includes sewing, and a haircut. I may run to Joann Fabrics for some shape flex and fleece, but beyond that my day is mine. The only other thing on the agenda is cooking dinner and I am thinking of trying a new recipe for baked cauliflower to go along with some baked sweet potatoes.

     In past years this was always the day I caught up on letter writing, and did applique work, or hand stitched down bindings to stay awake.  I also would work on lesson plans and pass notes like most students use to do back in the days before cell phones and email. <:>/ 

     If the sun comes out or the rain holds off I may even decide to take a short bike ride, but  for now I am sitting sipping my tea and enjoying watching the birds play in the trees out my back window.