Terrible Haute, Here I Come

I got sucked into going to a reading textbook display/demo in Terre Haute tomorrow, since this is a reading textbook adoption year.  I really don't mind except we are supposed to have 1-2" of snow during the morning commute.  WHY does snow fall just before dawn every stinkin' time????  I left plans for the sub (which takes more time than just being there in person).  In any case, unless the weather is worse than expected, I'll head west on the morrow.

I really didn't want to teach 8th grade.  When the news was finally revealed that our district was finally going to go to a middle school format, I had a nagging feeling that I was going to get stuck.  As it happened, the colleague who was chosen to be the middle school principal was asked to pick who she wanted to take with her to the middle school for English.  She chose me.  (I didn't know that in the beginning.)  At first, I considered that it amounted to the high school principal wanting to get rid of me.  Since the move, however, I have experienced a measure of trust and respect from the administration that has been missing for a lot of years.  Never mind that I am within a few mere years of retirement!  In any case, it is nice to be in a position of confidence for a change.  What I find is that the more they trust me, the better I perform.  Funny how that happens!

Anyway, 'tis time for me to find clothes for tomorrow and hit the sack.  Ciao! 

Interesting Day

Happy Birthday to my friend, Ryan KB9RAF!  I think this is the big 6-0.  Don't despair, Ryan....I'm right behind you!  I have slightly more then a month to continue to "enjoy" the 50's...then the big number changes to a bigger one.  Hugs to you!

Had the usual day at school.  After school was radio club (BARC) during which we had the kids take practice tests online in order to review one of our young men who was ready to test.  (In fact, I had a VE team poised to come today to do a testing session for him and anyone else who was ready.)  With Allen leading the group in test answers, we took four tests.  Two of them were passed 100%, and another two were passed, missing only one question each. 

The VE team arrived just after the rest of the BARC kids went home.  Allen passed with flying colors!  Here is a brand new ham at age 13!  I am extremely proud of this young man.  He took the initiative to study at home, apart from our weekly meeting.  Can't wait to tell him his call sign in a couple of days!

That being said, I really owe a lot to my VE friends for traveling  to bring the test to the kids.  Working with middle school students makes it a bit tougher to get to testing, since they can't drive themselves, and taking them ourselves requires permission slips and a district vehicle.  The other option--having the parents take them--gets even trickier.  In any case, thanks to my friends for helping beyond the call of duty!

There was another bright spot to the day--something I never would have dreamed would happen in a million years.  We got a memo from the administration saying that our snow make-up day (a day scheduled into the calendar in case we have to take a snow day), originally scheduled for Feb.16th, is being moved to Feb. 5th...the day after the Superbowl!  In short, I can watch the big game without worrying about having to get to bed early enough to get to school the next morning.  Pretty neato!

I have never, ever, been into the Superbowl.  Professional sports in general aren't appealing to me because the players get paid millions of dollars to play well.  Oh...Michael Jordan made 30 points in a game...for how much money??  You get the picture...  For the most part, high school and college sports are more entertaining because the kids just play their hearts out for the joy of the game.  I like that!  This year is different.  For one thing, my daughter is such an inveterate Colts fan that it is contagious.  For another, one Colt is a former student from Monrovia.  John Standeford doesn't get to play much if at all, but he IS on the team and ready when duty calls.  (His mother-in-law is a secretary at our school, along with former race car driver Gary Bettenhausen's wife, Wavelyn.  Our secretaries are famous!) 

I'm quite pooped tonight.  Time to hit the sheets!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-jig

Spent my weekend in Muncie but am now safely at home.  The weather in Muncie scared me for the trip back, so I packed quickly when I figured out that I needed to be on the road in order to get much of the trip in during daylight.  Good decision!

My granddaughter has a very big need to be in control of everything.  She dictates what Grandma is to bring and how the sleeping arrangements are to be.  I sleep in the living room on a futon.  Robin is supposed to go to sleep in her room and then be transported to the futon to sleep with me, much later.  Friday night, she just didn't go to sleep in her room at all.  I finally acquiesced for her to try to fall asleep in the living room...and that only occurred after about 1:00 AM.  But guess who was awake about 8:00 the next morning?!

Yesterday, Meg and I and the children set out to find a new microwave to replace the one that produced a fireball, and a means to display a set of arrowheads for a friend of theirs.  It was a long day, but we survived.   The arrowhead display project is still on-going, but near fruition. It looks pretty good!

Today, Robin took me by the hand, smiling, to tell me that she had something to show me in her room.  When we got there, she revealed bite marks in her knee and said her brother bit her.  I asked Ryan WHEN he bit her.  He didn't know.  Still, I scolded him (he usually gets a spanking for biting) and told him that he needed to tell his sister that he was sorry.  God bless him, he did.  "I'm actually sorry."  (He's three!)  But then I got to looking at the bite mark...  The top-teeth marks were on the bottom of the knee, with the bottom-teeth marks on the upper part.  Hmmmm...  I looked at the teeth.  No way!  My delightful little granddaughter wanted to throw her brother under the bus!  Thankfully, I didn't spank him.  Robin didn't experience any consequences for lying....but that will come.  She's only four!  She bit her own knee and blamed her brother.  They learn early, don't they????

The newly-engined Taurus didn't have any heat.  Prior notice had revealed that it was s plugged heater core, that Nathan took care of.  Thank God!  It has heat now..

We were slow to get started today.  I'm not sure Robin ever got dressed.  Ryan was, once, but took off his clothes.  Meg and I took off for an hour or so, trying to find supplies for the arrowhead project, but found nothing.  We also brought home some staples.  The cupboard is somewhat bare.  They don't lack for meat.  Grampeg brings that.

When Meg and I were out, mid-afternoon, it was nasty.  There were snow squalls, and the roads weren't all that great.  I panicked and decided to leave instantly in order to take most of the trip in daylight.  I anticipated nastiness.  It wasn't that bad.  People were driving sanely.  Muncie is in an area where the weather is worse..or better...but usually worse than Indy.  I got home okay.

Tomorrow, after school, is our BARC meeting...Bulldogs Amateur Radio Club.  One of our kids is ready to test, and I convinced a VE team to come to test him.  (I owe them!!)  If the kid passes, it will be my fourth student through all these years who will have become a ham operator.  I love it!

Guess I will spend SuperBowl Sunday with Nate's parents.  I was invited!  Go Colts.!

Thursday Down...Friday to Come

Tomorrow is a half-day with students, reverse schedule...which means, essentially, that I hardly have to teach before the critters get sent home for the day and the teachers have an in-service.  The topic for the in-service is "Autism Overview".  More and more students are being diagnosed with autism and/or Asperger's Syndrome.  It gets harder and harder to meet everyone's learning needs...

Friend Patrick-in-Crisis had a broncoscopy this morning.  The doctors are still scratching their heads about what went wrong with Pat's lungs to cause near respiratory collapse while he was in their care, but that particular crisis is over, for now.  The broncoscopy brought up some foreign body that has been sent to the lab.  (That could be the culprit, right there!)  In any case, please keep up the prayers for him.  It isn't anywhere near over yet!

I have had such a busy evening that I'm not ready to go to Muncie.  May have to delay the trip until Saturday morning.  We'll see.  In the meantime, I have a student in the ham radio club at school who thinks he is ready to test...and my ham radio Volunteer Examiner buds have risen to the occasion to see if we can get a new amateur operator out of the deal on Monday. 

And then there is the upcoming Superbowl.  I don't give a big rip about the Superbowl, usually, but my two "favorite" teams are facing off, so I have to do something for the occasion.  Go Colts!

I'm Wondering...Is It Worth It?

I have to learn to stop taking student apathy and misbehavior as an affront to my ego.  I started the morning by standing in the hall telling students that the bell was going to ring and they needed to get to class.  I also remind my classes DAILY that they have to be in their seats when the bell rings.  This morning when the bell rang for first period, one of my cocky young men was standing away from his desk.  He remained there through the moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance.  Thereafter, I informed him that he was tardy because he wasn't in his seat...and he informed ME that he thought the rule was just to be in the room.  DUH!  How many times does it have to be said for it to sink in???  It was his flagrant disregard for me and the rules that set me off for the day.  If I get sufficiently nasty, they finally get the idea...but it is not in my nature to have to be that way.  Unfortunately, there are a number of students this year that can pull my chain.  It's not a pretty picture.

Major Pat called me this morning before I even left for school.  He was feeling better.  A phone call from him this evening, however, showed him as "down".  He will undergo yet another broncoscopy tomorrow morning.  The doctors still don't know what is up with his lungs.  They are now suspecting a condition called Bronchiolitis Obliterans Organizing Pneumonia (BOOP), which isn't an infection but an inflamation.  (If you look it up on Google, please explain it to me.  Confusing!)  If it is that, he will be looking at six months of steroid treatment, which will mess with other latent conditions, not the least of which is his kidney disease.  (Also, breathing treatments increase blood glucose, and he is already diabetic.)  Ya can't win!  Patrick is hoping for a simple antibiotic resolution.  I don't think it will be that easy.  Still, I am one of Pat's major cheerleaders.  The best I can do is let him know that we are all here for him.  (I can't be THERE for him!) 

The resident canine has, once again, trashed the house by getting into trash.  She is always contrite, but not enough to clean up her own messes.  I need to talk to her about that...

Life goes on.  This morning, I heard my "elmer" on the radio on his way to work.  I asked him how the roads were, since we had a dusting of snow.  He said they were okay.  So, when I gathered my stuff together to leave for school, I hadn't figured on having to de-ice my car.  Double-DUH!  I brushed and scraped and left for school, but drove slower than usual because I couldn't trust the glare on the road in the dark.  Was it ice or just dampness?  I got to school about 5 minutes late for the pre-school "success" period.  No one complained.  Have I mentioned that I hate driving to school in the dark???

I notice now that my POLYESTER slacks are picking up dog hair, embarrasinglingly.  (Is the embarrassment because of the dog hair or because I am wearing polyester slacks?  You decide!)  Time to vacuum...and time to have the pooch groomed/shaved!

Time to fill the 'shwasher and look into tomorrow's vast wardrobe of things to wear before hitting the sack!

 

Guarded Better News

I haven't heard from Maj. Pat's wife today, but I did get an email from his brother in Kansas this evening saying that they had reduced the concentration of oxygen that Pat was receiving to 60% (from 100%)...and that if he kept improving, he might be able to go to a regular hospital room tonight.  Please don't stop the prayers.  This isn't the end of the battle--only the possible end of the immediate crisis!  Pat has been treated and released before, only to have the problem recur.  This has been going on since September.  Frankly, I think the doctors are stumped.  This man has never smoked.  They have hit him with antibiotics and steroids, breathing treatments, bronchoscopies, cat scans, and even a biopsy...and the pneumonia persists.  I feel a little bit better tonight knowing that he MIGHT be getting better, but it is a pretty helpless feeling knowing that he is in trouble and I can't be there.  When they lived in Chicago, it wasn't that big a deal to shag up there to be supportive.  They are now six hours away.  Not as easy a weekend jaunt...

(Good news!  Pat just called.  He is in a regular hospital room now!  They still don't know what the "bug" is that is attacking his lungs, but at least he isn't in immediate danger.  Hallelujah!)

I've been working on the gradebook software at school, endeavoring to get the software to figure grades for me.  It has taken a lot of help from one of the school secretaries, and some effort to input scores from my "hard copy" gradebook.  The beauty of it is that I can check the students' grades at a glance, as long as I have all of the scores put in.  The kids, of course, are always incredulous that their grades could be that bad.  I have to show them. 

Just to give you an idea of what I am dealing with, here is an example:  Today, I had kids at the board finding subjects and verbs in sentences.  (That is probably a third grade skill.)  One young man found the subject in his sentence.  Looking for the verb, he said it was "us".  I said, "Have you 'us'ed' lately?"  Okay...he figured that wasn't the verb.  Finally, he tried "gave".  Yes, that's it.  Is it an action verb or a linking (state-of-being) verb?  He decided it was state-of-being.  I said, "When you GIVE someone something, isn't there some action?  Shouldn't that be an actionverb?"  He said...(are you ready?)...this isn't GIVE.  It's GAVE."  Aaaarrrrrghhhhhh!

I will be going to Muncie this weekend, weather permitting.  Meg and Nathan got the newly-engined Taurus back today.  Nate's father and mother paid the freight to have a rebuilt engine put in.  At least they are back to two vehicles again.  Nate's two-door Beretta is scary and just doesn't cut it anymore.  I have flat-out given the kids my last two used cars when I got another.  My cast-offs have served them semi-well...but I think my source for used vehicle replacement may have dried up.  When my buggy gives up the ghost, I don't know where to go from here...

My sister reports that my niece is able to be on her feet a little now.  She was involved in a head-on collision in November.  She is doing okay.  Just talked to her tonight.  God is good!

Time for bed!

 

 

Major Pat

My dear friend, Patrick McPherson, was sent to ICU from his regular hospital room this afternoon, near respiratory collapse.  The pneumonia for which he is being treated isn't responding to medication.  His lungs are actually worse now than they were when he was admitted to the hospital several days ago.  He is receiving 100% oxygen.  If he needs more, they will put him on a ventilator.  They still don't know the nature of the problems with the lungs and are considering open-lung surgery to see what's going on in there.  Not good.

Please remember him in your thoughts and prayers.

Colts Win!

Earlier in the day, I was happy to see the Bears win.  Meg and I were in Pontic, IL, the last time the Bears went to the Superbowl...and had a copy of the "Superbowl Shuffle".

Tonight was the game between the Indy Colts and their nemesis, the NE Patriots.  Colts came back from a 21-3 deficit to win the game!  So now I get to watch a Superbowl tussle between my two favorite teams.  (I hope this doesn't put me at odds with my sister! )   I wanna have a party!

So tomorrow, I get to go back to reality.  It was a nice weekend.   Do I want to do this?  Do I have any choice??????

Saturday

I'm posting this on Sunday...but only because the clock says it is past midnight.

In spite of the need to sleep in, I was awake at the normal time this morning.  I hate when that happens!  Sat on my duff in front of the computer and radio, waiting to take part in the Saturday morning national and regional SATERN nets--my only real opportunity all week.  As usual, I couldn't hear any signals on 20 meters.  Forty meters was better.  I was net control for SATERN on forty.  That takes me to noon!

I horsed around for awhile, still in my robe, then decided I really needed to get moving on housework because A) the clutter was getting to me, and B) I was going out for dinner in the late afternoon and really wanted to accomplish something before my entire day was gone.  I launched into gear and worked on the kitchen.  (The kitchen was still in major upheaval from Christmas and having the grandchildren here then.)  I did a load of dishes, two loads of laundry, took the Christmas decorations (still in boxes because I never put them up) to the minibarn, found the table, moved the extra chairs to other parts of the house, etc.  How nice it is to have a kitchen that isn't piled with junk again!  Never mind that the floors are in major need of vacuuming.  I can do that tomorrow...

I have a friend who likes good food and seems to enjoy showing me some of the nicer restaurants around, as a real treat, when time permits.  Tonight, we went to an unlikely spot--a tiny burg in the western reaches of the county, but it was excellent!  We went to the Red Dog Steakhouse and Saloon about 25 miles from here.  He must have been reading my mind!  I haven't had a steak in awhile and was really in the mood for one.  (We won't talk about the price.  Suffice it to say, I guess I'm not a cheap date!)   Thank you, Mike! 

Major Pat--SATERN's National Director--called me late tonight, gasping for breath, to tell me that Carmella (his wife) was warming up the car to take him to the Emergency Room.  Patrick has been fighting pneumonia since September.  He was hospitalized for a few days back in October, and the situation was/is problematic.  He has been put through bunches of tests, but nothing was conclusive.  He was doing better, then was diagnosed with double pneumonia again...and has gone downhill since he finished his medicationsin the past week or two.  Patrick and family are dear friends.  He is frightened, as I would be.  Among his last words to me on the phone before he departed for the hospital were, "Please pray for me."  I am praying, and I ask anyone who reads this to remember Patrick McPherson in their thoughts and prayers...for healing and a return to normalcy.  Pat is only 60.  As a Salvationist and minister of the Gospel, he has never smoked in his entire life.  I worry...

Tomorrow is the big game in Indy--Colts vs Patriots.  Guess I will make myself a pot of chili and watch.  Go Colts!

 

How 'Bout Them Colts?!

Big doin's in Indy this week, hosting the NFL championship game:  Colts vs. Patriots.  Even the grocery store, which had a big Colts and party food display for last week's game, has left the display up for this week's.  'Tis a big deal for Indianapolis!  (Remind me to stay away from the Dome traffic this weekend!) 

This has been kind of a humdrum week, so far.  I've been catching up on paper-grading at school but not accomplishing much at home.  (My choice.)  I finally got new seating charts made and got my grade book set up for the new semester.  It's always something!

I watched "Armed and Famous" on CBS tonight--the reality show that was filmed in Muncie, Indiana, where my children live.  I don't think I like knowing how much crime there is in that burg!!  Plainfield is so much safer (and closer to Gramma)!

Frodo, the Wunderbar Watchdog, is scratching herself silly.  No fleas.  Don't know what the problem is, but I suppose it means another trip to the vet.  This little princess canine is expensive!

Winter has finally set in.  We actually had a little skiff of snow on the ground in Monrovia where I teach.  So far, we have dodged a number of winter storm bullets.  I suppose the days for that are numbered.  Sooner or later, we will have snow...

Not much else going on today.  Go Colts!

 

Happy Birthday to My Bro-in-Law!

I won't mention his age, but my brother-in-law celebrates 60-something today.  Just talked to him on the phone because the card that I was so careful to send so it would get there today has been side-tracked by the holiday that our school district doesn't observe.  Arrrgggghhh!  Roger will undergo a heart stress test tomorrow, so they spent a quiet evening at home due to eating restrictions.  Doesn't sound like much fun at all!

Mark and Beth stopped over this afternoon.  Mark and Beth, as in the Mark and Beth who lived here for 10 or 11 weeks two summers ago.  As in the Mark and Beth who spoiled my dog.  Okay...so the dog didn't remember them.  They came in the living room.  The dog headed for the couch.  M & B made NO attempt to touch her or even approach her.  They just TALKED to her...and what did she do?  She piddled on the couch, then went to the kitchen to hide and piddled there, too!  This pooch is so neurotic, it amazes me that she functions at all.  She is totally dependent on me for security.  I have known her since she was 6 weeks old.  (I called her my Grandpuppy before I had grandchildren.)  When the kids had to leave her behind as they moved to Muncie, I took her on with the notion that I would only keep her until I could find another home for her.  Well...you know how that goes!  I am now convinced that she is so totally neurotic that she wouldn't function well in another home.  That makes me the stuckee!  I'm such a sucker for animals, I knew this would happen!  I cleaned up the couch and the kitchen carpet.  I'm getting used to this...

My house is still pretty much in shambles after the holidays.  I keep working, but energy wanes in the evenings.  I"m old, you know!  I just keep on pluggin'!

Taking a Pause

I have had a glorious weekend at home.  Have only left the homestead to go to the grocery store to buy the usual two-weeks of dog food so that the pooch can eat even if I am shy on funds at the end of the pay period!

One of my colleagues lost her father quite suddenly at the end of last week.  I couldn't attend the services, but I sent her an email, and got a return message soon after that my words had helped.  I hope so.  I care.

On that same note, a regular on MIDCARS, KE8SP, became a "silent key" on Friday.  Betty had lost both of her legs to diabetes.  She had been in ill health for awhile, as is her husband, Tex.  They ran a Santa Claus net on 40 meters for a number of years.  Her passing is sad. 

I haven't accomplished all that much today, but did get some things done.  I feel sorry for the resident canine.  She has nothing to look forward to, day by day.  She just eats and sleeps.  Same as me. 

It has just rained and rained.  I think we are going to miss the bullet of snow that was earlier anticipated.  Southern Michigan is under a snow warning, but we are only looking at more rain.  I need sun!!!!

Hope all my Florida-traveling friends are home safely.  Tomorrow starts another week!

Just Another Day at the Schoolhouse...

Sometimes I think I work at a zoo!  No wonder my feet hurt all the time.  I feel like I stamp out brush fires all day!

This morning, one of my young ladies--who was supposed to be in ISS (in-school suspension)--was at her locker, for some reason, and started to go off on a couple of teachers and supervisors.  She got a one-way ticket home for the day. 

At lunchtime, I was in the hall and noticed another teacher escorting one of my youngsters to the office.  He was supposed to be at lunch but was caught red-handed chewing tobacco in the boys' restroom.  The lies flowed thick and fast.  He got a 3-day one-way ticket home.

Toward the end of the day, one of my youngsters told me a detailed story about how a girl that he didn't know from another grade passed a razor blade to him because she didn't want to be caught with it.  She said she is a "cutter," and it spooked him.  I IMed the principal who came in a hurry.  The principal is beginning to feel like a Crime Scene Investigator.  I feel like a zookeeper!

After school, I ran some errands.  Went to my credit union in Avon, stopped at the grocery store, gassed up the car...then came home to gather up a snack to go to Snack and Craft night at my church.  It's kind of a "ladies night out," babysitting provided if needed, for the ladies of the church to get together and work on whatever crafty projects they have going at the moment.  My craft tonight?  Grading papers!  I turned a large stack of papers into a small stack of papers.  Some day, I hope to have things so much in control that I can actually go to Snack and Craft and work on something fun!

Guess what?  It's raining.  When I closed my car door at the church, it apparently closed on the seat belt clasp and didn't close all the way.  When I got in the car to come home, I got my bottom wet.  <sigh>  At least I took care of some windshield problems last week.  A guy from the roofing company that had messed up cars at school with some polyurethane overspray worked on my windshields, and I got my windshield wipers replaced.  What a difference!  Perhaps I will be able to see the ark I am building now.  The rain isn't supposed to stop for at least two more days, when it will then turn to snow.  Oh, joy!

My Day

Had a sub in my classroom today so my teammates and I could go over failed ISTEP test results for individual kids.  It was an all-day process...and sometimes discouraging.  There were two students who simply didn't do the tests!  The kids don't know or care that we, as teachers, and we, as a school, are being judged by the results of those tests.  Someone needs to tell me how to remediate students who refuse to try!

Today is my son-in-law's 31st birthday.  Happy Birthday, Nathan!  I know times are tough, but I hope you had a nice day, nonetheless!

Had a meeting after school with our contract bargaining team.  Things don't look good.  One of the gals on the team lost her father, quite suddenly, a couple of days ago.  That kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?  She has been an integral part of the team.  Now, she just needs OUR support, instead of our receiving HERS.

Mercifully, tomorrow is Friday.  The weather forecast for the weekend is for rain, rain, and more rain.  I hate that!  I am one of those seasonally-depressive persons who needs sunlight in order to be productive...and there is NOTHING in the forecast to encourage me.  All I can do is say, "Thank goodness the temps are high enough that it won't be WHITE precipitation!"  We are in the middle of January and I have scarcely had to wear a jacket all winter.  Guess I won't complain.  I just hope this doesn't mean that the bottom will drop out and spring will be late in coming!

For those of you who have had Florida time....nyaa, nyaa!  It's 45 degrees in Indy on the evening of January 11th!

 

 

I Have Garbage Again!

Or maybe that should be "I have a garbage disposer again!"  When I got home from school today, Ryan Holly had already been here and departed...and I had a new garbage disposer in place!  He left the old one out where I could see it.  It was really ugly and rusted through in places.  (Someone needs to explain to me why they make things that will be in water out of materials that rust!!!)  The old disposer was 11 years old.  I don't know what the normal life of those things is, but mine was shot.  Thanks again, Ryan.  You have saved me again!  Now to put my kitchen back together...

Just finished writing lesson plans for a sub tomorrow.  My teaching team will be having a meeting during school hours in order to go over 8th grade ISTEP scores.  Planning for a sub is a pain because everything has to be written down in order for the sub to survive.  It's a pretty thankless job!  My team probably also needs to come up with some sort of strategy for remediation for those who didn't pass.  I don't know what more we can do!  There is a general problem with students who don't care that much about doing well, and it counts against us as teachers, and as a school.  Where did I put my magic wand?

I watched the debut tonight on CBS, of a reality show that is being filmed in Muncie, Indiana (where my daughter lives):  "Armed and Famous."  Five TV celebrities have taken police training in Muncie and are patroling the streets with the Muncie PD.  It was an okay show.  Certainly not an award-winning program.  I guess the most interesting part of it is where it is taking place.  Muncie, Indiana?  Who'd a-thunk it?

On her webcam tonight, my daughter shared some pictures that my granddaughter drew.  Her pictures are rapidly becoming more and more complex and detailed.  She has a spark of creativity and imagination that is enviable.  You go, Robin!!  That's my Beanie!

 

 

Wrongway Peggy Strikes Again!

There was some cartoon show on the air when my brother was a little boy...maybe Rocky the Flying Squirrel...that had a feature cartoon of a fellow in a sea captain's uniform who was always going the wrong way.  He was Captain Wrongway Peachfuzz.  Every time I endeavor to travel off the beaten path in Indianapolis--especially after dark--I feel like him!

I was invited to an emergency communications think-tank-type meeting at the Red Cross in Indianapolis tonight.  I have been to that building probably four times before but have NEVER been able to get to it without radio help.  This time, for sure!  I printed out Mapquest directions and gave myself 45 minutes for a trip that should have taken only 30.  Dummy-proof, right?  Wrong!

At 6:00, I was in the neighborhood, but due to one-way streets and one that doesn't go through to the RC address, I drove circles around and around the area, with no luck.  No fewer than three hams were giving me directions.  I finally arrived along about 6:25, embarrassingly late, then had to leave the group in order to go out to my car and run the HCARS net. 

IF I AM GOING TO CONTINUE TO ATTEND THESE MONTHLY MEETINGS, I WILL HAVE DROP-DEAD FAIL-PROOF DIRECTIONS, OR I WON'T GO!!!

KB9RAF is going to come to my rescue AGAIN...this time, for the disposer/sink situation.  I owe him, big time!  In the meantime, I managed to honk off another friend to the degree that he isn't speaking to me right now.  How do I do these things???

Another day of life in the slow lane...

Another Day, Another Crisis...

Why do things fall apart all at once?????  This afternoon, I decided to find the reset button on my garbage disposer because it hasn't been working...and someone told me about a reset button.  Started taking cleaning supplies out from under the sink...and found a lake!  It was a nasty clean-up.  There was a small dishpan under there with cleaning products in it.  The pan was fully of water...and some kind of larvae!  Maybe that's where my fruit flies have been coming from???  And the water under the pan was black.  Yuck!  Got it cleaned up with bleach, but left the cabinet open to dry out.  Never did find the reset button, and still don't know where the water is coming from.  Methinks it might mean I need a new garbage disposer...  Will leave that for another day!  AAaaaarrrrrggghhhhhhhhh!!!

Catching Up

I had to catch up on some laundry (Nate and Meg's) yesterday before I could take the children home to Muncie.  I got a little frustrated because having both children during awake time makes getting things done in a timely fashion nearly impossible...and the dryer was taking forever to get the towels dry!  Ryan fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon, so I was able to move a little more efficiently.  (Sad to say!)  Finally, I got the car loaded, strapped the children into their car seats, and headed out. 

The children hadn't seen their parents in ten days.  Although they really hadn't expressed much by way of homesickness, I could tell by their behavior in the car that they were happy to be going home.  I have a Kindermusik tape in my vehicle.  It has saved my rear on many a trip with the children.  (Kindermusik is very beautifully done children's music, and my grandchildren have been raised on it.  They love it.)  I put in the tape, and the kids listened.  Robin repeated over and over again "Kindergarden music is my favorite!".  With each new song, she talked about what a good song it was and how it was one of her favorites.  When her brother started laughing about something, she told him she couldn't hear the "sweet" music...which just gave him ammunition to laugh more.  Still, they didn't argue or fuss...just chattered excitedly.  When I got off the interstate, they seemed to know where they were.  Muncie! 

After a nice reunion and unpacking the children's things, I hit the road back to Plainfield.  Stayed up way too late, but knew that I could sleep in today--which I did.  I spent the day in my bathrobe.  Never left the house!  Did four loads of laundry and a load of dishes.  Picked up the house some.  Napped on the couch for two hours.  I was catching up on my Christmas vacation.  Tomorrow, it's back to the grind.  Am I ready?  No... 

I Can't Do This!

I slept on the couch last night in order to leave the bumpy bed to the children.  They can't fall out of it because of the rails, and it is big enough for both of them to thrash around without running into each other too much.  When the alarm rang at 5:30 this morning, I was up.  So were the kids.  I took them to their other grandparents' house in their pajamas, and supplied clothing, etc., for Ryan...then took off for school.  (I got permission from the principal to be late for Success Period both today [Thursday] and tomorrow.  It gave me a little extra time.)

The arrangement that I had made with the other grandparents was that, if they would watch the children during the day, I would take them for the overnights--which seemed fair.  Judy and Phil actually would have them for longer, but would have their peace and quiet in the evenings.  The overnight deal would work well for me, too, except that I have to get up and get to work...  Today was a busy one at school, made worse by the fact that the 8th grade team's entire preparation period was taken up with a parent conference.  I went over my grade edit sheets just after school, then headed for home.  I got an hour's nap in before 5:00, and that helped me survive the rest of the day.

I went to the other grandparents' for supper and to retrieve the children.  Ryan was dead-asleep in a chair.  Grandma Judy sent his supper home with us because he totally missed the meal!  Judy was coming down with a cold and had a touch of laryngitis, so she didn't go to choir practice.  I think I had the kids out of there by 6:45 so she could get some rest.  They had taken the children to see Charlotte's Web, but I guess they both fell asleep in the theater for parts of it.  I'll bet Judy and Phil had wished they could have, too!

When we got home, the kids played with Playdough for awhile.  Ryan totally devoured the food that was sent home for him.  Robin snacked on pretzels, apple slices, and raisins all evening.  Oh...and they both had popsicles.  There was the usual amount of shenanigans.  Robin got spanked once for biting her brother...and Ryan had to be removed from the bathtub for splashing water in Robin's eyes.  The usual stuff...  What was frustrating about the bathtub deal was that, since Ryan had had a late night, I settled Robin into bed and put Ryan in the tub.  The next time I turned around, ROBIN was in the tub, too!  (Hadn't planned on  that!)  I lost my cool a couple of times...to the degree that Ryan called me "bad grandma".  It was easily 11:15 before they were asleep--Robin before Ryan.  When I went in to check to make sure they were conked out, I noticed that Ryan was asleep holding Robin's hand.  Since she fell asleep before him, I know he reached out to her.  It was sweet--and made me feel like a horrible person to get so upset at the little angels!

I'm still up, but not for long.  I need my own quiet time, so couldn't just go to couch (that's like going to bed, only without the bed!) until I had a chance to unwind.  I have to be up early again in order to get the children over to the other grandparents for Day Two of this drill.  I can't do this much longer!  I have had zero time for myself since before Christmas, and it is beginning to wear on me.  No one is more devoted to his/her grandchildren than I...but I'm not in control of their schedule with the split-shift grandparenting going on. 

I guess God, in His infinite mercy, gave me only one child for a reason.  (My former husband already had two by his first marriage, so he wasn't interested in more...and considering his parenting track record, I was okay with that.)  Still, how did I do it all?  I took care of the house (cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry), the kid....and worked outside the home.  I even managed some creative projects in there.  But here I am, 20-something years later, a single grandparent, wondering how I am going to get through the next 2-3 days. 

I have one thing to say:  Megan and Nathan owe their parents, BIG TIME!

Back to Normal, Sort Of...

I got little Ryan up before dawn this morning...before he was ready to wake up...to get him ready to go to his mother's friend's for the day while I returned to school.  While he acted quite shy in the beginning, I think he did okay.  Becca said he didn't talk much until her children were up, and didn't eat anything, but he was happily playing when I arrived to get him at the end of the day.

Then it was time to take him to Grampa Phil's, to ride in his "big brue truck" to go to the airport to pick up Robin and Grandma Judy.  Grampa is Ryan's favorite person in the whole world, so he was happy.  I stopped at the grocery store for a few things, then came home to the couch and a glorious nap!  Haven't had one of those in ages!

At 6:30 PM, the phone rang.  It was Grandma Judy...ready, I think, for me to come get the children.  Since she and Phil will have them during the day while I teach, I said I would take them overnight.  Am I nuts???  When I got there, Ryan was just going crazy...but he soon settled down again.  Of course, their parents called just about then.  (This whole week, it seems they call at just the wrong times!)  We returned to my house.  Ry and Robin played for awhile at the kitchen table with another present that Robin got in absentia from Santa.  Then, for no reason, Ryan bit Robin on the arm.  It didn't hurt too much because she only whimpered, but it set the stage for the rest of the evening.

Both needed baths.  I put them in the tub, and all went well for awhile...but then Ryan started splashing water in Robin's face.  When I went in to put a stop to that, he started kissing her, but right before my eyes, bit her on the thumb so hard that she did the "ugly" cry.  I yanked him out of the tub, spanked him, put him in his pajamas, and plunked him in the bumpy bed with a video and a drink.  He conked out soon after.

Robin stayed in the tub for awhile.  I told her to call for me when she was ready.  When she did call, I found her out of the tub, sitting on the toilet.  She pointed out that there was poop floating in the tub.  Uh....  She had an accident that short-circuited the rest of the bath!  Fortunately, the rest of the poop found its way into the toilet.  Sheesh!

I got Robin in her nightgown and spent a little time with her on the couch.  She watched a short video; we read a book; then she said she was ready for bed.  I put her in the bumpy bed next to her sleeping brother, and she didn't last long.  Ahhh....  Peace!

I don't know what it is about the sibling thing that turns perfectly lovely children into little devils, but I have watched the dynamic over the last three years.  It is interesting, at best...and horribly frustrating at worst.  These are two absolutely handsome children who are sharp as tacks, creative, and willful, in their own rights.  They both have special places in the family heart.  Someday, I hope they come to appreciate each other!

I got my grades in today.  We also got our ISTEP results for the kids--comparing, interestingly, last year's scores with this year's scores.  (Not the same group of kids!)  In essence, it is a measure of teacher success.  I guess I should feel fortunate that English scores only went down by 1% from last year's group, even though this year's group isn't nearly as mature or sharp.  This will create more hoops to jump through...

I have a hip giving me fits today.  Old age strikes again!

 

Meltdown

I guess the final result has come.  Little Ryan, listening to his beloved Grandpa's voice on the phone tonight, just fell apart.  He wouldn't talk.  Just put his head under the covers of the bed and wept.  First tears all week.  I think today was the benchmark of his tolerance for being without the rest of his family.  He told me earlier that it was taking a long time for Robin to get back.  He misses his sister...and also asked earlier today who Grampa was taking care of...

God bless the little guy!  He has been as good as gold...totally unlike his little boy-nature.  He is ready to have his sister and family again. Tomorrow should help.  I will deliver him to his grandfather around 3:30 to go pick up his sister and other grandmother from the airport.  I think being with his sister will help him get through the next few days. 

Missing your family at age three has to be a different challenge.  He has done well for a week.  Now, he's done.  I respect that!

I'm going to bed now.  Have to move Ry off my side of the bed!  Wish me luck getting all connections made tomorrow!

Ellinois

Well...we actually DID get to "Ellinois" (as Ryan calls it).  I was nowhere ready to take off on Saturday...in fact, considered canceling out altogether...but my neighbor agreed to come in and feed the dog in our absence, so I ran around and threw things into suitcases, and off we went.  We didn't depart until almost 4:00 PM, Indiana time.  As we were pulling out, Ryan said, "Ellinois, here we come.  Hit the road, toad!"  I laughed out loud!  Not too far down the road, Grandson Ryan fell asleep--and stayed asleep the entire rest of the trip!  As long as he slumbered, I just kept driving.  No stops.

Because of the timing of our arrival, we were to meet the gathering family at TGI Friday's in Springfield, for the celebration of my grand-nephew's 25th birthday.  Ry and I parked there at about 6:20, their time...and stood in the lobby awaiting the rest of the family, due to arrive by 7:00.  After about 30 minutes, my grand-niece Holly and hubby arrived.  Yay!  Someone I recognized!  She said, "Grandma's car is here."  Huh??  They had been there all along! 

Ryan didn't recognize anyone there, so he was acting shy, but he ate pretty well, and before things were over, he had warmed up to his cousin Chance (age 7) and even took Holly's hand when departing. 

I have to say this:  the entire time we were visiting at my sister's very lovely home, little Ryan was pretty much an angel!  Don't know what the odds are of that happening again, but without the stimulation of sibling rivalry (with his sister gone), he was totally civilized!  Played with toys by himself.  Sat at the table quietly eating during meals and used his manners.  Went to sleep on cue.  What a cutie!

We went to visit my niece who is in a wheelchair for another month, due to a head-on car accident on November 30th (not her fault)..  She is convalescing nicely because her husband took major time off to be at home to take care of her and her 7-year-old son, Chance.  (The hospital wanted her to go to a nursing home!)  I have seen pictures of the car, and of Laurie's injuries before surgery and treatment.  She is seriously lucky to be alive!  (Maybe "lucky" isn't the right word.  She had a guardian angel medallion that fell into her lap as the accident happened.)  If you are reading this, Laurie, do whatever the doctors tell you...and get down on your knees (if you could!) and thank both Almighty God, Danny, and your parents for loving you enough to help you get through this.  Wish I had found someone like Danny first time around!

New Year's Eve was a quiet celebration.  It was the one-year anniversary of the death of our brother (although we didn't know it until the next day).  We ate crackers with salami and cheese, and had a toast of sparkling grape juice and/or wine.  Ryan had no idea what it was all about, but since he had had a long nap earlier in the evening, he joined in.  At midnight, we all yelled "Happy New Year" and kissed everyone...and that was the end of that.  Ryan was put to sleep on the couch while my sister and I stayed up too late and drank too much.  (She suffered for that the next day.  I only suffered from lack of sleep because Illinois is an hour behind Indiana time.)

Ry and I left IL for home yesterday afternoon about 3:00.  No problems.  Ry is a good car rider, fortunately, and the weather cooperated.  We hit the sack later than I wanted to, but he was no problem.

Today...my last day of freedom before returning to work...we didn't do much.  Took Ry back to Chick-fil-A (his choice) for lunch (and the play place), then ran some errands.  Got the windshield wipers replaced...and noticed that the car is overdue for an oil change.  The alert light didn't come on!  Also got some drain cleaner for the tub drain which has been running slowly, and some caulk for the new half-bath floor.  There is laundry to do, etc...but can't do everything with a young'un in tow.

Ry will go to one of Meg's friend's tomorrow while I am at work.  Have to have him there at about 7:30...so it will be a busy day.  Robin and her other grandmother return from Atlanta tomorrow, God willing, and the siblings will be reunited.  That should be interesting...  Thereafter, the next two days, the children will stay with the other grandparents while I work.  I will probably have them at night.  Don't know who is taking them home on the weekend.  Ahm tard!

My daughter and son-in-law are blessed, and they don't even know it.  Nathan's father is having a new motor put into the defunct Taurus, on his own nickel, as a surprise.  These people have spent a tremendous amount of money helping them out, as I have.  We want to see themsucceed.  I hope to God the message gets through!  Meg and Nate, if you are reading this, understand that your families love you...but there is an end to our ability to help you.  Be good stewards of what you are given.  It ain't gonna last forever!

Net time!