Summer's over and I didn't get to everything on my summer list. That's pretty typical - I tend to make ambitious lists.
Here's the end-of-August-through-September List:
Pull out the old jalapenos and tomatoes in the greenhouse
Remix the soil with compost and replant those pots
Start seeds for sale as seedlings
Continue to improve outside garden soil for planting greens in November
Trim Sheep hooves
Finish quilt top (have one of four rows done so far)
Get XC blog up and running (has to be immediately since the season is pretty short)
Pull kalo and replant huli
I have a whole other ambitious list for work. I don't know why I inflict these lists on myself - I just feel bad when I don't get them all done.
Oh well, I really want to make cookies for our buildings room cleaner today - he really worked hard on cleaning my blinds in my office this summer, well above and beyond duty. As I didn't finish (or barely start) my Saturday cleaning and as we promised the older kids to meet them for church tonight, I kind of suspect the cookies and the bare minimum cleaning are all that's happening today. I slept way in today - dead to the world until 7:30! I mean that's nuts and a list killer. I can't let that happen every weekend!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Back to School
Wow! What a week! We started school on Monday with the kids. I am now having to blog for this personal blog, for my classroom, and for the Cross Country Team. All very exciting, but my head is spinning, that's for sure.
I have to say, so far, I love all my classes; for kids who are supposedly behind in their English language skills, they are pretty darned quick off the block, which makes things fun. Yes, they need some grammar and some practice with disciplined close reading, but wow - how fun to have kids who are thinking, thinking, thinking. Even if they are also always talking, talking, talking.....
Tomorrow I am teaching all four periods, because some teachers have asked me to teach note-taking to their classes. I am going to be very tired by the end of tomorrow - and I seem to need to go to town for animal feed and flea spray for my cat. The only way you can tell it is summer up here is the increase in fleas and coqui frogs. Otherwise, it is fairly chilly and rainy, as usual. At least, it will by Friday, so tired can be answered with a sleep in the next day.
My son really and truly moved out - well, I am sure there are odds and ends left behind, but he stuffed his new (old) car with belongings and drove off last night. He forgot is razor, so he had to come to my office to get it, which was a bit anti-climactic, but yeah, my second baby is gone. Now we only have two kids are home. I will have to adjust my cooking - or suffer leftovers for days for my lunches.
I have to say, so far, I love all my classes; for kids who are supposedly behind in their English language skills, they are pretty darned quick off the block, which makes things fun. Yes, they need some grammar and some practice with disciplined close reading, but wow - how fun to have kids who are thinking, thinking, thinking. Even if they are also always talking, talking, talking.....
Tomorrow I am teaching all four periods, because some teachers have asked me to teach note-taking to their classes. I am going to be very tired by the end of tomorrow - and I seem to need to go to town for animal feed and flea spray for my cat. The only way you can tell it is summer up here is the increase in fleas and coqui frogs. Otherwise, it is fairly chilly and rainy, as usual. At least, it will by Friday, so tired can be answered with a sleep in the next day.
My son really and truly moved out - well, I am sure there are odds and ends left behind, but he stuffed his new (old) car with belongings and drove off last night. He forgot is razor, so he had to come to my office to get it, which was a bit anti-climactic, but yeah, my second baby is gone. Now we only have two kids are home. I will have to adjust my cooking - or suffer leftovers for days for my lunches.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Gratitude
I am grateful for my children - all of them - but yesterday, I was particularly grateful for my youngest. She came back from a workshop on Peer Mediation ready to start a group in the high school - and she won't be in high school for another year! That didn't stop her. She went to ask the counseling department if they would help. On her own.
I am grateful for the new administration at my job. Really, incredibly grateful. We had to share three words for how we felt yesterday after our first day. Mine were "Relieved. Hopeful. Grateful."
I am grateful for my coworker how got here at 6:00 am to work out with me. I can't do it once the kids are in school, because my son rolls out of bed only after I have yelled, "I am leaving in two minutes!" up the stairs. I tried to trick him once by yelling it half an hour early. It didn't work. But somehow, he generally gets ready in that two minutes. It makes me ponder the nature of time.
I am beyond grateful that my efforts with Gibby are starting to really pay off. I couldn't spend much time with him on Monday or Tuesday, but when I got home last night, he was making those nickering noises that usually mean either, "I am happy to see you." or "Feed me." or, you know, probably both at the same time. I ran toward him - a move that in the past would have had him spinning and gone out the door to the pasture. He stood rock still, let me open the gate, walk in and approach him. When I left and came back with a rope lead, he did avoid for a second, but turned around and stood still again. This is much bigger than it would have looked from the outside.
It's good to feel grateful for today instead of my usual worried!
I am grateful for the new administration at my job. Really, incredibly grateful. We had to share three words for how we felt yesterday after our first day. Mine were "Relieved. Hopeful. Grateful."
I am grateful for my coworker how got here at 6:00 am to work out with me. I can't do it once the kids are in school, because my son rolls out of bed only after I have yelled, "I am leaving in two minutes!" up the stairs. I tried to trick him once by yelling it half an hour early. It didn't work. But somehow, he generally gets ready in that two minutes. It makes me ponder the nature of time.
I am beyond grateful that my efforts with Gibby are starting to really pay off. I couldn't spend much time with him on Monday or Tuesday, but when I got home last night, he was making those nickering noises that usually mean either, "I am happy to see you." or "Feed me." or, you know, probably both at the same time. I ran toward him - a move that in the past would have had him spinning and gone out the door to the pasture. He stood rock still, let me open the gate, walk in and approach him. When I left and came back with a rope lead, he did avoid for a second, but turned around and stood still again. This is much bigger than it would have looked from the outside.
It's good to feel grateful for today instead of my usual worried!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Work, Projects, and General Pigheadedness
Teachers report tomorrow, officially, but of course, I have been there the last three days because I am a perpetual volunteer. We had freshmen orientation and two days of tech stuff to do, but tomorrow is the first real day of teacher prep.
Honestly, I have been so focused on helping build huge units for a couple other grade level teachers, that I am going to have to jam to get my own class stuff together. Mostly, the first week is getting to know what the kids already know and what they can already do, so we don't bore each other or frustrate each other and I have plenty of ways to do that stored up in my head that don't take a lot of handouts or props, so I am not freakishly worried.
However, it's been an eventful few weeks for our second child. He rented his first apartment. He bought his first car. Even though these are good things - they are still big, expensive steps - fortunately, he has a good programming job and in two weeks he starts his other job (programming is flexible, or at least this job is). This is a good thing, because I think he wiped his earnings - a room mate is coming back from studies abroad and owes his half of the rent, deposit, and propane, but that's a few weeks ago. Not bad, though, for a kid who isn't quite 18. We did help with the car (with the insurance money from the car he was driving in the accident), but he did the rest himself. I am safe telling you all (because he doesn't read this blog) that his sister bought him dishes and silverware with her own birthday money. I surely have a treasure in all my kids - but that youngest one is amazingly kind, generous, and loving.
My quilting project is finally on a roll - right when I have to go back to work! I am just doing a nine patch variation, so I am just doing a nine patch square each night, then I will have to piece that together, make the quilt layers and get to quilting. If I work a little bit every night, I should be done by Christmas :)! It's just a lap quilt because that's the size of the big piece I am going to use as the back piece. I bought all those fabric scraps at a garage sale in June; I am actually impressed with myself for starting it. Too many times, I have started something only to not finish it. I am not a crafty person. This quilt will be completely hand stitched because I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to reliably work the sewing machine. Pathetic, isn't it? I think the machine hates me, because when I touch it, everything goes wrong. It likes my daughters better....
The horse project has been hampered by fairly unrelenting rain. That picture in my last entry of blue skies over the white fence was a very rare occurrence (I believe that there were only 3 sunny days this whole cold, wet summer). I have done a lot of ground work in the stall, but Gibs doesn't do well in hand in the rain - no concentration at all. This, of course, meant we had to do our work in the stall - the "stall" was really designed to be two stalls and a six foot walkway - the whole roofed area is 20 X 24, so it isn't as useless as it seems. Basically, we've been working on 1) stand there so I can walk up to you 2) keep your nose in front of your chest (and not in my space and not in the "avoid" position) 3) stop freaking out when I make weird, sudden flapping movements in your direction - or when chickens do or when the wind blows funny 4) put your hooves up without fear and without shifting when I reach for the back hooves - and stand quietly when I hold them up for some time - working on standing for the farrier. 5) stand at liberty in the stall and allow me to touch your head without avoiding. So far, we've had super progress with #5, so-so progress with 1,2, and 4 and one successful day with #3.
I am determined to make this horse at least minimally reliable - mostly because someone told me it wasn't possible. I am so darned pigheaded sometimes.
Honestly, I have been so focused on helping build huge units for a couple other grade level teachers, that I am going to have to jam to get my own class stuff together. Mostly, the first week is getting to know what the kids already know and what they can already do, so we don't bore each other or frustrate each other and I have plenty of ways to do that stored up in my head that don't take a lot of handouts or props, so I am not freakishly worried.
However, it's been an eventful few weeks for our second child. He rented his first apartment. He bought his first car. Even though these are good things - they are still big, expensive steps - fortunately, he has a good programming job and in two weeks he starts his other job (programming is flexible, or at least this job is). This is a good thing, because I think he wiped his earnings - a room mate is coming back from studies abroad and owes his half of the rent, deposit, and propane, but that's a few weeks ago. Not bad, though, for a kid who isn't quite 18. We did help with the car (with the insurance money from the car he was driving in the accident), but he did the rest himself. I am safe telling you all (because he doesn't read this blog) that his sister bought him dishes and silverware with her own birthday money. I surely have a treasure in all my kids - but that youngest one is amazingly kind, generous, and loving.
My quilting project is finally on a roll - right when I have to go back to work! I am just doing a nine patch variation, so I am just doing a nine patch square each night, then I will have to piece that together, make the quilt layers and get to quilting. If I work a little bit every night, I should be done by Christmas :)! It's just a lap quilt because that's the size of the big piece I am going to use as the back piece. I bought all those fabric scraps at a garage sale in June; I am actually impressed with myself for starting it. Too many times, I have started something only to not finish it. I am not a crafty person. This quilt will be completely hand stitched because I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to reliably work the sewing machine. Pathetic, isn't it? I think the machine hates me, because when I touch it, everything goes wrong. It likes my daughters better....
The horse project has been hampered by fairly unrelenting rain. That picture in my last entry of blue skies over the white fence was a very rare occurrence (I believe that there were only 3 sunny days this whole cold, wet summer). I have done a lot of ground work in the stall, but Gibs doesn't do well in hand in the rain - no concentration at all. This, of course, meant we had to do our work in the stall - the "stall" was really designed to be two stalls and a six foot walkway - the whole roofed area is 20 X 24, so it isn't as useless as it seems. Basically, we've been working on 1) stand there so I can walk up to you 2) keep your nose in front of your chest (and not in my space and not in the "avoid" position) 3) stop freaking out when I make weird, sudden flapping movements in your direction - or when chickens do or when the wind blows funny 4) put your hooves up without fear and without shifting when I reach for the back hooves - and stand quietly when I hold them up for some time - working on standing for the farrier. 5) stand at liberty in the stall and allow me to touch your head without avoiding. So far, we've had super progress with #5, so-so progress with 1,2, and 4 and one successful day with #3.
I am determined to make this horse at least minimally reliable - mostly because someone told me it wasn't possible. I am so darned pigheaded sometimes.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Review of the Week
Well, it was a doozy. One of my children entered a new decade - nothing
like that to make you feel old! Two of my children were in a car
accident (everyone's fine- except the car - and it wasn't their fault).
Three of my children accompanied me for a picnic and to the local
community theater for a production of Cinderella (which included 3 of my
former students). And all 4 of my kids were home last night - these
days that's almost a miracle.
One of a handful of beautiful days (in a sea of rainy ones) in the last 9 months. It was so nice, I washed the car, the three dogs, cleaned animal housing and did a little gardening - just to avoid having to go inside.
We went to Volcanoes National Park - I took this from the car, so it's a little funky. These are Ohia and Hapu'u.
More drive-by pictures.
It's hard to tell, but this is a crater we're looking down into - obviously an old one, with trees that size. We picnicked here before heading to the local community theater production.
My birthday girl and her friends at dinner.
One of our presents to our daughter - a modelling shoot.
Friends and adultish-child, again.
Lovely former students in costume! They were GREAT.
One of my Buff Orpington hens checking out if that camera in my hand might, by some chance, involve food.
Last week of Summer Vacation for me! I hope we get a few more sunny days!
One of a handful of beautiful days (in a sea of rainy ones) in the last 9 months. It was so nice, I washed the car, the three dogs, cleaned animal housing and did a little gardening - just to avoid having to go inside.
Friends and adultish-child, again.
Lovely former students in costume! They were GREAT.
One of my Buff Orpington hens checking out if that camera in my hand might, by some chance, involve food.
Last week of Summer Vacation for me! I hope we get a few more sunny days!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Baking
Wouldn't you know, it is actually a sunny day and I am inside baking. This has been a cold, rainy summer and, as insensitive it is to the many farmers suffering drought, I am so tired of being damp and having cold feet in the middle of summer. However, I promised one son that I would make cookies and the other one bust out with a plea for hot dog buns - and I wanted apple pie. So I made all of them.
All of this meant that I have been in the kitchen for the last several hours while the sun shines outside. I just have the worst timing - yesterday would have been perfect for staying inside and baking: it was drizzly and cold all day. Instead, I went for a five mile walk, played with Gibby, and went to look at a car with my almost-18 year old (and stood in the rain talking about said car - Hilo people, we're used to rain).
I need a weather crystal ball!
All of this meant that I have been in the kitchen for the last several hours while the sun shines outside. I just have the worst timing - yesterday would have been perfect for staying inside and baking: it was drizzly and cold all day. Instead, I went for a five mile walk, played with Gibby, and went to look at a car with my almost-18 year old (and stood in the rain talking about said car - Hilo people, we're used to rain).
I need a weather crystal ball!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
A Little Gardening
In spite of (or perhaps because of) a few erstwhile hurricanes passing east and south of us, we're having somewhat drier weather - up here in the gloomy rainforest that doesn't always mean sun, but I did get out this morning to weed and add compost and coffee grinds. This garden just isn't producing - I think it is the sheer lack of sunshine we've had since, well, October.
I did pull 4-5 turnips that managed to grow, a few stunted collards and sweet potato leaves and a few bok choy leaves off the one plant that didn't bolt and steamed it all up for lunch. I planted some radish, more turnip, bok choy, kai choy, and a handful of mystery seeds that got all mixed up on the bottom of my seed storage container, as well as some green onions. We'll see if anything grows.
My seduction of Gibby continues - I whistle him in about an hour before regular dinner time. He's probably getting a little ready for bought feed at that time, but the sheep aren't in to compete for attention, yet. Yesterday, he came cantering in and after making a big deal of him, I put the halter on and did a few ground work exercises. Then, I just let him go and went on my daily walk/run.
It's so tempting to just hop on, but I think I need to restart him like I would start a colt and see if that works a little better.
I still find myself surprised by grief - no place on this land doesn't have a memory of Ohia, but keeping busy helps.
I did pull 4-5 turnips that managed to grow, a few stunted collards and sweet potato leaves and a few bok choy leaves off the one plant that didn't bolt and steamed it all up for lunch. I planted some radish, more turnip, bok choy, kai choy, and a handful of mystery seeds that got all mixed up on the bottom of my seed storage container, as well as some green onions. We'll see if anything grows.
My seduction of Gibby continues - I whistle him in about an hour before regular dinner time. He's probably getting a little ready for bought feed at that time, but the sheep aren't in to compete for attention, yet. Yesterday, he came cantering in and after making a big deal of him, I put the halter on and did a few ground work exercises. Then, I just let him go and went on my daily walk/run.
It's so tempting to just hop on, but I think I need to restart him like I would start a colt and see if that works a little better.
I still find myself surprised by grief - no place on this land doesn't have a memory of Ohia, but keeping busy helps.
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