Lettuce Begin

Lettuce Begin by saying the week was everything a gardener could hope for and more. Here you see the lettuce I started two weeks ago. Now I am 'hardening it' by putting it outside in the daytime and bringing it in for night. So just what did I do besides take Flat Blake around town? Here's a brief list;
1. Washed and waxed the car
2. Sent in our taxes and also did a rough draft of 'the daughter's' taxes.
3. Cut down LOTS of ferns and spread a yard of compost.
4. Went into the classroom and did 4 hours of planning for the upcoming Math night, displayed some 'kid work' and moved around some seating.
5. I am a wienie when it comes to getting shots, so this one is quite surprising...I got a cortisone shot in my elbow for 'golfer's elbow' and NO I do NOT golf. But now I can pronate my left arm with the best of the duffers should I choose.
6. Did some serious cleaning. Hey those micro fibre dust cloths are AMAZING! I should have listened to my mom when she recommended them months ago!
7. Ran in glorious sunshine for six days in a row.
8. Finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera at LONG last. I do NOT recommend it; the leading character is creepy. He pines away for his first love for five decades and his obsession with getting her back strikes me as stalker behavior. Also, this guy has numerous affairs over the decades including a pedophiliac relationship with his niece that really got my bile up.
9. Bought 2 end tables from an antique store. They will need painting but I think they just might be the match I needed for the lamp bases I bought earlier in the month.
10. Relaxed completely.

Closer to Home

Back in the car, along the shoreline we went. This is the ferry dock in the Fauntleroy neighborhood. You can catch a ferry to Vashon Island or to Southworth on the Kitsap Penninsula. There are lots of islands and lots of ferry boats in the Puget Sound. This happens to be the dock closest to my house. On foggy mornings I can hear the fog horns as they warn the ferry boats traveling from dock to dock.
Well Flat Blake, you were a nice enough house guest but the conversation was kind of one sided at times. Be sure and tell the REAL Blake what a good time you had; who knows maybe he will get out to Seattle someday!

EPILOGUE: Amidst protest I put Flat Blake into an envelope along with some Seattle souvenirs and mailed him back to Oshkosh this morning. I don't know why he was complaining so much; I gave him a bigger envelope!

Warm Sand

This is Alki beach. I recognized this boy as a student from the school where I teach. He was very happy to pose for the camera with Flat Blake. Everyone has jackets on because the air is cool but the sand felt so wonderfully warm. This beach can be very crowded in summer. It is a great place to play in the sand and to have picnics. There are never very many people in the water. The water in the Puget Sound stays pretty cold all year around. Kids do go in the water to cool off when summer is here, they just don't stay in for very long. Beach time is the most fun when it is low tide and you can take walks along the shore looking for crabs, anemones, sea stars in many colors, chitons, and sea cucumbers. If you are REALLY lucky you might see a baby octopus.

Fish and Chips With A View

So you say you're hungry? (Click to enlarge and you will see Flat Blake on the door) This is my favorite Fish and Chips place along Alki Beach. It is at Seacrest Park. Go for the halibut; it costs a bit more than cod but is so much yummier in my opinion. You can also rent skates here or get a kayaking lesson. It is also where to catch the pedestrian ferry to downtown in summertime.

Say "Cheese"

We met some very nice tourists and I took their picture, they took ours. Here we are at the viewpoint in Jack Block Park.

Looking South

Here is Flat Blake looking south towards the Duwamish (the native tribe of the Seattle area) waterway. Being a port city is big business for Seattle. See all those containers? They come off of ships and are then placed on rail cars bound for many parts of our country. Containers also are loaded onto barges and head up to Alaska.
See those clouds on the horizon? If they were not there, you would be looking at Mount Rainier. If you are ever around Seattle for more than a 4 or 5 days it is a good idea to take a day trip to Mount Rainier. Just before the park's Nisqually entrance stop and eat at the Copper Creek Cafe. They have the most delicious blackberry pies imaginable! Get out at Paradise Lodge, stretch your legs, take a hike. But, to really appreciate being in the mountains, it has to be a sunny day.

What's That Noise?

Ark, ARK,ARK! The din from water drew us to the fence. It was a group of happy seals on their backs, flippers in the air, enjoying the sunny day just like everyone else.

Flat Blake at Port of Seattle Shoreline Park

Don't these floats look like big Christmas ornaments? Every time I see them I say to myself, "We should take a Christmas photo here." They are fun to sit on although in the summer the sun heats them up so hot you could fry an egg on their surface.

Flat Blake in Seattle's Chinatown

Lucky for us we slipped right into a parking space in Chinatown. We also call it The International District. This is a very old part of Seattle but the colorful gate is brand new and beautiful. If you like Asian food, the food court at Uwajimayas is a good place to go with lots of choices. I enjoy buying bubble tea there. But it was too beautiful out today to hang around downtown! We got back into the car and I drove the scenic route back into West Seattle.

Part Two of Flat Blake's Adventures

After my haircut we headed back towards downtown. Seattle has lots of hills, not quite as steep as in San Francisco but there are a lot of them. Here we are heading west down Yesler. I pointed out our oldest multi-story building, the Smith Tower. Isn't it quaint? You know I have never been inside of the Smith Tower? I guess I have to put that on my 'to do someday' list. The sleek black building is the Bank of America Tower and I've got to tell you, the best view of the city, the mountains, and Lake Washington are from the observation deck of this 72 story building and it is a whole lot more affordable than the Space Needle's elevator. Yes, you are still riding on the dash and I took the photos through the window.

Flat Blake

On Tuesday I got a wonderful surprise! A silent and slender visitor slipped out of an envelope. He hails from Oshkosh, Wisconsin and he is here as an emissary to help a first grade class learn about maps and other cities and states. His name is Flat Blake .I'm sure those of you who have young children or if you are a teacher, you are familiar with the book Flat Stanley. This, I am certain, is a marvelous learning extension from that book!
Here are photos of Flat Blake's trip to Seattle. In this post I will try to describe what is happening. First off, he just could not WAIT to jump out of that envelope! He zipped out to our deck to get some fresh air and enjoy the view. That is the Puget Sound (which is saltwater...it is not the actual ocean but it leads to the ocean) in the distance behind the trees.
He must've slept well 'cuz he was eager to hop in the car with me this morning. I couldn't get him to wear a seatbelt, he was a real rowdy one, he rode on the dash. I guess he just wanted to be able to see out the window. I had a hair cut appointment across town and wasn't planning to make any stops but I found a parking spot near Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is) and took a photo of F.Blake with the Needle in the background. Problem was, he did not want to let go of that phone pole and get back into the car! I could understand this since at Seattle Center there is the Pacific Science Center, a big fountain, a Children's Museum, a game arcade, a few rides and of course the Needle itself which has a great gift shop and for a fee (kind of expensive) you can take an elevator to the top. Finally with a promise to show him one of the scariest spots in Seattle he got back into my car. Then we headed to the Freemont neighborhood where there is this troll that lives under the bridge (that's the Aurora Bridge). I was impressed with F. Blake, he insisted on having his photo taken as he sat not fluttering one little bit , on the troll's hand.
To be continued...

Mowing Man

After the skate on Alki just what did we accomplish? Well, 'the man' mowed the back expanse and I cut down 4 more clumps of Swordtail fern and then, feeling that my vitamin D intake was sufficient, I went in to clean the inside of my garden window and do the dusting. Then I made a trip to Trader Joe's and spent an unspeakable amount of $$ on nuts, dried fruit, wine, and other sinful goodies. Next I washed the Subaru. So although I woke up late, it was a productive,fun filled day.

Lady Liberty on Alki

Lady Liberty on Alki
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Let freedom ring! This my President's Day post. Liberty never looked better, even from the back.

See Mt. Baker?

See Mt. Baker?
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

I would like to say that every mountain possible was visible today but I did not see the mountain we are most connected to; Mt. Rainier. But Mt. Baker is lovely, don't you think.?

Skating Man

Skating Man
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

After that hefty breakfast we had a leisurely skate along Alki. I was surprised that it was so quiet. Aside from several dog walkers and buggy brigades, it was fairly unpopulated. Since I had not skated since November, the lack of pedestrians was a blessing to me.

Winter in Seattle

Winter in Seattle
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

I told you we had lovely weather today. I awoke at a leisurely 8:30. I know , what IS wrong with me? My usual wake up is 5:11. What can I say: I must've needed it. Anyway 'the man' was hungry and he had promised me a breakfast out, so off we went to Easy Street, arrived at about 9:30 and it took FOREVER to be served. They were short on staff and high on customers. But, it was worth the wait. I really enjoyed my egg sandwich, bacon, and hashbrowns. That sure upped our cholesterol levels.

It's True

It's true, the bluest skies you'll ever see are in Seattle. On a day in the middle of winter they are doubly welcome. This photo is from the blog Slightly North. Although today was a day that made any camera toting idiot like myself just grin and shoot here, there, and everywhere, because the beauty of it all was so obvious.

Green Thumb Sunday

Green Thumb Sunday



Join








Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
What a lovely day to work outside. Not much wind to speak of and sunny all day long. See my list to the left for the skinny on just what I did to my gardens. I was outside for about 3 hours working away. Go to my Flickr page to see more photos.

FASOLA

I went to day one of the Sacred Harp Convention. I only stayed for an hour and a half as my vocal cords are not totally in working order yet. I would've loved to have stayed longer but I could feel the strain so it was easier to follow the Dr.'s orders and not go full throttle back into singing. It was so great to be at the convention and see people that I had not seen in months. While I am not close to any of them, I find them all to be very welcoming, intelligent, and certainly more musical than I am! Some of them are so unique in their style of leading a song. If you are in the Seattle area you still have one more day to go and listen at the Sunset Hill Community Club in Ballard. Here is Jack Lofton leading #328 Praise God.

Suits Me to a 'T'

Simple red and white tulips in a vase on our table greeted me when I got home from work on Valentines Day. He couldn't have chosen better! How I yearn for the tulips in my garden to appear. This Valentine bouquet helps to tide me over.

Comfort Food

Winter is the time when I pull out my casserole recipes and experiment with a new one or two. This is Baked Rice with Sausage from a One Pot Meal cookbook. Upon reading, the recipe reminded me of the Spanish rice my mom fixed when I was a kid. It is probably a little healthier, I used chicken sausage instead of pork. I grilled them before tossing them into the casserole. I also used half brown rice and half jasmine rice. I tossed in extra peppers and used less onions to pacify my husband. The chicken stock was fat free. A couple brisk shakes of Tabasco was my last minute addition to zip it up a bit.
The recipe said it served four, but those four must be lumberjacks! And what a surprise to see how colorful it was when I whisked off the lid. It was delicious and I am certain we will get at least two more meals out of it.

So Sweet

Valentines Day is just around the corner as all the florists and jewelers having been reminding us for at least the past 2 weeks. The kindergarteners are also in a tizzy over exchanging cards with each other. And my are they ever proud of their ability to put their vows of love into words. I was the grateful recipient of one such proclamation and nice as the notes and hugs are....I still hope that the HB 2458/SB 6376 which address limiting class size at grades K-2 and giving educators the 3%COLA that taken from us in the '03-'05 budget, both pass. Tuesday is the deadline for writing to your WA legislators regarding these bills. Give the teachers in your life a Valentine; send an email! Go here to see a video of why class size matters; although you would have to be pretty dense if you didn't understand the concept of LESS kids meaning MORE time for each child from the classroom teacher. In the video the teachers say they have 25 students and I am envious; we have 28 in each of our kindergartens! Large classes also impact how available teachers are to meet with parents to discuss questions and concerns about their children. More kids take more time, plain and simple. As for the 3%pay raise, we deserve it and it is absolutely critical if we want to attract and keep new teachers. On a personal note, my husband found out last Wednesday that he is one of the 750 Macy's office employees in Seattle that will be out a job sometime this spring. Yes, that 3% would be appreciated more than ever in this household. While I am on a political roll, you KNOW I am just glowing with excitement over the huge Obama's huge success in the Washington caucuses yesterday! As to you nay sayers out there who think his speaking skills mask deficits in his knowledge of international policy and issues; you are selling him short. This man is very intelligent and I am certain while the learning curve would be steep, he CAN do it! Besides, with his ability to communicate he could do wonders in changing the image of the U.S.abroad.
So what did we do this weekend? I went to Esquin and bought a bottle of this and a bottle of that. Copywriters for wines and plants have me pegged. I read their descriptions and I just can't resist buying. Other than that I am not much of a consumer. I also browsed second hand stores for mid century end tables. I bought the perfect lamps, now I need the tables. Is that backwards? Oh, I need the shades too!
Last night we joined our friends Joe and Val in Kent for dinner. As always the food was fabulous. A ginger beef stir fry and a black rice salad (very tasty, it had avacado and orange in it) with coconut sorbet for dessert. I intended on posting the salad recipe but Blogger may not be saving my post...if you want the recipe, leave a comment.

Tune In

I just got an email from a Sacred Harp singer in regards to a local radio station that will be playing this traditional music to promote our upcoming convention. Here are the particulars:

KBCS 2/9 "Our Saturday Tradition" (9:00 to noon; the Sacred Harp segment will be aired at about 11:00

Same station, 2/10 "The Old Country" a re-air about the Pacific Northwest Singers; an hour long documentary style program including recordings from the 2004 convention and interviews with local singers.

Please 'tune in' or better yet, visit the convention. I guarantee, "It arouses the spirit!"

Oh Crap!

Sorry friendly readers out there, I am putting comment moderation into the settings for my blog. Somehow a bookseller got through to my last post and a left a comment which linked to their online store. This just means it may take a day or two before your comments are posted. Keep on reading! I can tell from my site meter that the person is located in Hong Kong...probably some poor sap in an internet version of a call center.

The Week That Was

So, the week was hectic and although it was only 4 1/2 days of work it did not feel that way. The district gave us the Mid Year assessment for math on Jan. 24th and wants it done by Wednesday of this week for data team meetings. Alright, it takes on average 30 minutes per student to deliver the kindergarten assessment. Let's do the math; 28 students times 30 minutes = 840 minutes. Divide 840 by 60 and you get 12 hours and 20 minutes. Now, the school day is 6 hours for students. But wait! Take out lunch and morning recess and you are left with 5 hours and 15 minutes of time with students. Oh! Don't forget 40 minutes of P.E., Library, or Art on Monday through Thursday. Now we are down to 4 hours and 35 minutes per day Monday through Thursday. Well, I think you are beginning to see; it would take nearly 3 full days of school doing nothing other than giving the math assessment to get it completed. Is this sensible? I won't go there. So how are we doing it our classroom? Bits and pieces. We DID suspend literacy for 2 days and we used an Instructional Assistant to help. Our principal (bless her heart) is getting us a sub for Tuesday so we can do the most onerous sections of the test; counting objects using regrouping and story problems for addition and subtraction.
Come three o'clock on Tuesday I am going to be the one needing graham crackers and a nap!
Last Wednesday night we represented our school at a Kinderfair held at the nearby community college from 6:00 to 9:00 (TOO long!) It is fun to talk with curious and enthusiastic parents who, rightfully so, take serious interest in choosing a school for their children. It is one of the things that keeps me from getting jaded. We signed up at least a dozen more people for one of the weekly tours of our school. Next year we have been told that we do not need to have any more than 26 students which is a tiny bit of relief. To be honest though, it only makes a difference in the classroom if I have 23 or less...not that my class has ever been that small. I just know that I get around to more students when, due to absences, there are 23 or less of them. Logical, huh? My biggest point to make for lower class size is summed up in one word; communication. I could communicate with students and adjust their instruction more frequently, I could communicate with more parents on a regular basis and enlist their help in their child's education.
Then on Thursday we had a scheduled tour group come through our classroom. The kids are getting very comfortable with all these visitors peering at us. I told them in the early a.m. as I prepped them for the day, "I want you to be such good students when our visitors come through I just want to see little wings coming out of your backs and halos above your heads." They looked at my smile and one of them got it and chortled,
"angels!" "Well yes, or close to it," I added. And darned if they weren't just that.
My teaching partner and I were busily testing a couple kids and the others were at their tables writing numbers in their calendars or words and sentences in their tablets. The biggest crack up for me was little S. who paused in our testing and looks at me with big brown eyes and says, "I guess these are our customers, huh?" Honestly, I never have referred to prospective families as 'customers' but I had to answer, "Yes, S., I guess you are right!"
On Friday we had Crazy Hair Day and THAT was wild. Pink hair, purple hair, spiked hair, teased hair, lots of wonderful silliness. See my other blog for a couple photos.
So now it is the weekend. It continues to be chilly but at least the rain held off and I did a bit of clean up in my gardens. Tonight we have a couple dvds to view. I have schlepped some school work home and I have a house to dust tomorrow. No I will not be watching the Super Bowl, unless it is for the commercials. I grudgingly give my support to the Giants if pressed to take sides. All of you who DO watch, pay attention to the calories you consume, I've read that gluttony abounds amongst Super Bowl viewers.

The Cost of a Cutie

Cuties, that is the title of one of my previous posts. Now that I have a site meter I can see that it is one of my more popular posts. This really cracks me up because obviously most people are NOT expecting to see a picture of citrus fruit! Although at least one person visiting 'Cuties' DID enter from an online coupon site. But, she must've been doing so from work because I saw the name of a bank listed in the IP address. So maybe I will use this knowledge to jack up my blog hits. How about a post on composting entitled Hot Dirt or one on the feral cat that can't get enough of our garden; let's call it Wild Pussy! Yee haw, now I'm on a roll! Then I look at the world map from the resources on Site Meter and I see the various places my visitors hail from, both here in the U. S. and abroad. I am pretty good at figuring out who most of them are. riseoutofme is in Ireland, wakeupandsmellthecoffee is in the UK and HG's friend Gille is in Sweden, I have students with family in India and Iran, I have friends in France. Then of course there are scads of relatives and my own blog haunts; Piffle, Quiet Life, and Confessions of a Rotten Correspondent in the mid west and Jen at A Snowball's Chance In... who is spending sleepless nights in Georgia and Tanya at Learning To Live, chronicling the growth of baby Chase in Hawaii. But who in the heck in Sterett, Alabama is checking up on me? Good Lord! They are on SO much it must be Big Brother or some stalker who finds my 'dull as dirt' day to day musings intriguing for some odd reason. All of this is to say I am enjoying my site meter.

A Brighter Perspective

After watching the Obama/Clinton debate held in California tonight I have a brighter perspective on the Democratic party's ability to come together. It was a much
warmer Clinton we saw tonight and it was admirable the way neither candidate bristled even when the CNN facilitators tried to bait them. The idea of a 'dream ticket' is on the minds of many people it seems.

Midwinter Fire

I took one little walk around my gardens to break the tedium of filling out financial aid forms for my daughter on Sunday. Isn't this dogwood lovely? It is called Midwinter Fire and I bought it at an Northwest Perennial Plant Sale about ten years ago. At this time of year it beautifully displays the reason for it's name.

Tied to the Computer

On Sunday at 9:30 in the morning I sat down at the computer, found a classical music station online and thought to myself, "If I really stick with it I will have this CSS Profile filled out by noon." Was I ever kidding myself! I worked 'till 1:30 fixed lunch for Chris and I and took a break. Then back to the keyboard of the computer until dinner when I went back upstairs to the kitchen to cook again of course. We ate, watched a little of Obama's speech after winning the primary in South Carolina. (That was exciting but Ted Kennedy's speech of endorsement today was even more invigorating.)
It was so hard to get back to the CSS, the tax forms, the files and pay stubs. By, 9:30 at night I was just about done, only 2 or 3 lines where I thought it prudent to check my figures in the morning. And now, tonight I submitted the dang thing. With FAFSA and CSS behind me I only have the taxes and the U of Chicago's financial aid forms to complete and those will wait till later in February. I really sweat these forms out; I appreciate honesty and accuracy, but I want 'a deal' too. I win on the honesty part, hope I am accurate, and the deal is never quite what I think we can live with; but somehow we do.
Right now the rain is falling steadily and I am doubtful that it will turn to the snow
they predicted. At least it is a four day week!

Two and a Half Day Weekend

Whoopee! Monday is the day between semesters and while I DO have a Math workshop to attend at 12:45, having the morning off will be blissful. From last Sunday through yesterday we had beautiful blue skies and frosty weather. I took a few pretty photos in Lincoln Park just as the sun was about to break through. Right now it is raining a cold rain that every once and a while switches to snow, just to tease us. Talked to my dad in Green Bay this morning and he tells me that they are experiencing an old fashioned winter like I remember from my youth; a foot of snow or more on the ground and below zero temperatures. Last night I read lots of the blogs I frequent. While most people have a blogroll listing their daily reads I opt for suggesting you click on the del.icio.us icon if you want to explore the sites that I read.
As I read the news today I am nervous that the Democratic party is shooting itself in the foot. The nasty exchange of words, and in particular, the role Bill Clinton is playing in fueling the fire, has me quite despondent. People are surprised that issues of race/gender are in the picture. Oh, come now. They DO make a difference, especially when considering that in 2004's presidential election there was an increase in the African American in vote S.Carolina from 22% to 30%. And they both want those votes; but bashing one another is only going to reflect poorly on them in upcoming states. I know that more than one of us has entertained the "Wouldn't it be nice?" idea of having both Obama and H. Clinton on the same ticket. Today that seems more of a pipe dream than it did in the early days of this campaign.
* In speaking of race I try to keep in mind the perspective of Paul Kivel:"The only way to treat people with dignity and justice is to recognize that racism has a profound negative effect on upon our lives. Noticing color helps to counteract that effect. Instead of being color neutral we need to notice much more acutely and insightfully exactly the difference that color makes in the way people are treated." taken from: Uprooting Racism; How White People Can Work For Racial Justice

'Let's Go Fly A Kite'

Here's a new twist on flying a kite. I guess you could say the kite is flying the skiers. When I was cross country skiing on Saturday I saw this most unusual sight on the edges of the lake below the trail. These two guys are on skis and being towed by yellow kites. They were stopping everyone in their tracks. They really zipped. I don't know how they managed to miss all the tree stumps in the dry lake bed that are poking up through the snow. I have taken very few videos with my camera, so please forgive the inferior quality. Have any of you seen this type of skiing in your part of the world?

Painful

There are few words that can describe how I felt watching yesterday's game. The Packers loss to the Giants in overtime, 23-20, was painful. Mike Vandermause, Green Bay Press Gazette columnist does a decent job of covering this dismal end to the Packers season. I was really expecting more of a running game and I missed watching Ryan Grant gobbling up the yardage. Next season? Without Farve (those interceptions by this revered quarterback get harder and harder to tolerate)? I am curious to talk to my family members for their perspective, but I better wait a few days till they 'cool down'. I had a brother in a company box at the game and a niece in the stands; brr.
As for today, it will be bright, sunny, and a cold 37 here in Seattle, which of course is nothing near the -3 in Green Bay. I will treat myself to long run once the sun is up and then I must find the discipline necessary to plow through completing the FAFSA, which next to taxes is one of the most onerous winter tasks to do. Wish me luck!

In The Lines

It was so peaceful with gray skies and light snow. My skis made a "roof, roof, roof" noise as they slid over the fresh, powdery snow. Sometimes I could hear the low rumble of a truck on I90, but mostly the air held the quiet that comes with a blanket of snow. In these two photos I like the lines I see created by the man made and the natural; phone pole and the lake's shore, groomed ski trail and snow laden branches.

How Much?

So just how much snow is there at Snoqualmie this year? Quite a bit, as you can see, and more kept drifting down for nearly all of the three hours I was there. I 90 was not bare and dry the whole way; it was wet and slushy just past North Bend and a bit foggy.
Still, a very easy drive.

Off I Go!

Road conditions say bare and dry in the passes, snow in the forecast. I'm headed out the door to cross country ski. Hopefully I will have some good snow pictures to post tomorrow.

HMMMMMM......

Some would say, "How clever to have your Dr. appointments on the Friday before a three day weekend." But it actually is just what worked out. I would much rather not miss a day. Making lessons plans for a sub is lengthy torture for me. And today was no 'walk in the park' either. I got my nose reamed by the otolaryngologist, and my boobs squeezed in the mammogram machine. The first appointment was 50 minutes behind schedule. Thank goodness I didn't put both appointments back to back. It did mean that I didn't get to eat lunch; not my idea of a post holiday diet plan. So you say just how DOES an otolaryngologist check your vocal cords? Well, first they numb your nostril (or nostrils) with a cold spray, then they just slip this skinny tube with a camera up your nose and down into your throat. Just like that! HA, NOT! The scope goes in a few inches, "breathe" the Dr. says, down an inch more "breathe and swallow" (yeah, right), down a few inches more, I put my hand on her arm to signal "STOP". My back is arched in the chair and I am so tense I think I'm going to pop a vertebrate. I get a trace of composure back and she says "Breathe again, through your nose." I'm actually surprised breathing through my nose is easier than through my mouth. I feel the camera inside my throat hitting the sides, teasing my gag reflex through the numbness. Now she says "Hum" and I comply "Hum a little higher" I hum higher knowing this exploration will soon be done, thank goodness! Zip, out slides the tube, we're done. Drum roll please! We look at the video of my vibrating cords from November and compare them with today's. I am continuing to improve, the little cyst is not really cyst anymore, just a tiny round dot. Although people can't hear it in my voice I still do feel it there and the Dr. says that is not too surprising but the fact that it is getting smaller means surgery is not necessary and best of all, I don't need to go back to her unless I still think it is there in three months. For now, I can sing; but only a little and no yelling allowed EVER. How in the world am I going to keep my yap shut during the Packer game this weekend?

Dismissal Time

3:05 is dismissal time - for kids. The teachers can leave a half hour later, in theory.
Monday, an Equity Team* meeting 'till 4:30 then I still had to pick up some of the flotsam 28 students leave in their wake and organized materials for the next morning. I think I left by 5:30.
Tuesday, spent time looking through our field trip folders, trying to decide on a field trip that might fit in with our Science unit, Animals 2x2, had an unplanned 20 minute discussion with a parent, put up pictures for the science unit. I think I left at 5:30 again.
Wednesday, no staff meeting but we had to look at math data and select one skill/concept which we will intentionally focus upon and we had to determine a tool to use for pre and post assessment. Then we tightened up our field trip plans (Top Secret),organized our plans for the morning and at 6:15 we headed out to the pitch black parking lot. (Burnt out lights. It costs $400.00 for the 'cherry picker' truck to hoist a worker in a bucket to the top of the light pole, so that is not happening anytime soon.)
Thursday, held a planned and totally worthwhile conference with a parent; but we had said 15 minutes and it was 45. The fish arrived today, in boxes insulated by Styrofoam and with a activated heat pack nestled inside. No dead fishies! Getting them situated in their tubs of dechlorinated water and figuring out what to move where so the fish can be at viewing level for the kids took roughly a half hour. Then two more hours of preparing plans for the substitute on Friday and I left at 7:10, the last car in the parking lot.
Friday, After a day of Dr. appointments. I head back to school at 4:30 to see what fallout the sub has left behind and prepare my lessons for Tuesday (Yippee, a three day weekend!) the sub was a reliable regular and everything was in pretty good order even down to a note with a note that said, "We got everything done but gee, this is a chatty bunch!" Tell me about it, I thought with a grin.

*I previewed (skim read) Uprooting Racism; How White People Can Work for Racial Justice by Paul Kivel The main point the author makes is that while no one is responsible for the color of their skin, it makes a crucial difference to be white and we ARE responsible for how we respond to racism. The chapter on Voting certainly got me thinking, perhaps more so because this is an election year. I was shocked at all the voting discrimination that was present as recent as the 2000 election; African Americans and Haitians being harassed by police at polling places, their names being removed from the rolls, being asked for extra id, and having the polls close early on them. The vote of people of color is also weakened because of the way electoral votes are unequally distributed in our country. There is lots of room for reform as we celebrate the 22nd holiday of Dr. M.L. King Jr.

Harbinger of Spring

A little bud of white, a snowdrop, popped through the mulch and tree detritus, a promise of the spring to come.

Winter Blue

This is one of those situations where I should not have tried to perfect what I originally had in the photos. I was just trying to sharpen the white of the jet's stream but somehow ended up with two shade of blue sky. The weather today was glorious, it felt great to work outside without a raincoat or boots.

The Right Tool

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Originally uploaded by mtnester.

To thin bamboo and to do most pruning jobs this is my favorite tool. It is a Barnel Sabre Toothed Saw. The handle was made by my husband. This is a gem of a saw because the teeth of the blade cut on both the push and the pull stroke. For bamboo you get a cleaner cut with a loppers but with a loppers, it is challenging to get to the bottom of stalks in a thick clump. You can fit this little saw into really tight squeeze spots.

After the Thinning

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Originally uploaded by mtnester.

If you look at the photo that is currently the header of my blog you can see that there were tall stalks of bamboo shooting above the clump and into the Japanese maple, a truly lovely tree in our neighbor's yard. Well, now it is a much tidier bamboo; but it never takes long for it to be unruly once again.

Garden Stakes Anyone?

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Originally uploaded by mtnester.

I thinned the bamboo today. This pile on the ground completely filled one and a half yard waste containers. We do this thinning at least twice a year.

Go Pack Go!

Yipee! They WON! It is hard to explain why after 31 years living in Seattle I still am a Cheesehead. The indoctrination starts really young, is all I can say! I don't know where this third grade is; someplace in WI, that's pretty certain. I'm sure their hero Brett Farve would appreciate this musical number.

Back in the Groove

Getting back into the school groove after the holiday break is rough and this year was no exception. I feel like I get so close to getting caught up on projects at home and then I must set them aside again to go back into the classroom. I was soon in the midst of the animated exuberance of 28 kindergartners who hadn't seen each other in 15 days. That will wake a person up in a hurry. Five had lost teeth, a couple had hair cuts, some had on new clothes and they all looked like they had grown an inch at least. Although everyone was happy, there were many sleepy eyes and at least two uncombed heads of hair. At least 10 students received pink tickets for tardiness over the course of the week so I know I am not the only one who struggles to regain the routine. It goes without saying that I spent most of Monday and Tuesday on management, management, management! Raising hands, sharing math materials, taking turns, walking not running in the room; it seems they had forgotten all of that. Wednesday was an improvement and I actually had fun with them on Thursday and Friday. It was school spirit day today and everyone was to bring a 'stuffy friend' to school.
Snakes, birds, giraffes, and the usual assortment of stuffed bears, dogs, and cats could be found in every classroom. They read with their stuffy friends, ate with them, played in Centers with them and in the picture above we did sorting of the stuffy friends at math time. As if time in the classroom was not busy enough I had a meeting with other union members and some of the union officers for a dialog to express our Hopes, Challenges and Barriers in our families, community and schools. Quite frankly we didn't know why they bothered with anything other than Schools. Among the top barriers; workload, class size, health care, compensation. No surprises there! Then on Wednesday we had a two hour Sexual Misconduct Training at our staff meeting which really was quite good. You could tell the information was as much for our professional safety as it was for the children we teach. Somehow I also managed to have at least five impromptu conferences with parents regarding concerns we have with their children. Now it is the awaited weekend and for what reason; the Seahawk/ Packer game of course! While it provoked a few sneers, I wore my Packer sweatshirt to a staff gathering tonight. Make no mistake, I'm a Green Bay gal to the end!

List of Faves

When I was younger I would make New Year's resolutions, not so anymore. That is too much pressure. Since most resolutions deal with self improvement of one sort or another, why give yourself pressure? Anxiety inhibits performance you know. For an interesting twist on resolutions check out Jen's "I will never..." list at
A Snowball's Chance in ... Or reflect on the words of elder blogger and poet, Troy at A Creative Journey But since a New Year calls for a list of some sort I will share an incomplete list of my faves for 2007:
1. Movies/dvds (all new to me in 2007):
Once; The music is great and I appreciated the message of persisting to reach a goal or dream. For a free download of Falling Slowly go here.
Paris je t'aime; for excellent portrayal of the many expressions of the emotion we know as love.
Into the Wild; all about a very principled person living out his ideals to a disastrous end (SO sad, but worth viewing)
2. Books: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Yes, I have read more but nothing as memorable as Kite Runner.
3. T.V.: Greys Anatomy; still love it. But of course the writers' strike has taken a the joy out of that. This week though we really enjoyed the Iowa caucus coverage. GO OBAMA! In fact if anything good has come out of the writers' strike it might be that more viewers are looking at coverage of the presidential delegates.
4. Green Thumb Endeavor: I got an orchid as a gift in June and it is doing fabulous things; new stems, leaves and buds!
5. Vacation: Walla Walla, Washington
6. Wine: A white I really like (best in summer); Burgans Albarino, from Spain
As for reds, that is harder, there are many I like, but in my rack right now, it is Northstar Stella Maris 2003 red wine; Bordeaux blend, that makes me salivate.
So there you have it.
And as for 2008, I think this quote from Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a fitting one to ponder: "..he allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves."

She's Chicago Bound

Here's HG(on right) all smiley with her BFF from grade school. At least twice a year we try to get together as families to enjoy great food and non-stop conversation with these two loquacious young women with sights held high and ambition to match. I am proud of my daughter's choices of friends, there's nary a one I dislike. But BFF is special, maybe because I have known her since she was seven. I like the relaxed way I see her draped over our couch, I like the fact that she is comfortable enough to open the cupboard and find what she needs, and I like the cheery sound of her voice when she calls on the phone. Yes, she calls on the land line and she takes a little time to talk to me before she talks to HG! That alone doubles her 'brownie points' in my opinion! Equally important, even though they are twenty, I would not feel stupid if I called her parents and asked things like, "Are you sure they should be driving into the mountains on New Year's Eve?" NOT that I did that, but having the option is nice.
So, at 5:30 this morning I dropped HG off at SeaTac with what felt like twice her weight in luggage. We had so much fun these past four weeks it was hard to say good bye and harder still to come home to a quiet house. When I looked on her desk she had left a to do list for yesterday: 1. Cook Dinner (the tartiflette was heavenly) 2. Vacuum my room (hmmm...I didn't hear the vacuum, the dust bunnies will be enormous by June!) 3. Thank yous (I saw a few cards sitting next to the list, my guess is she mailed some) 4. Put music on parent's computer (Yup, done. Can't wait to listen.)

A Mostly Quiet Christmas

It was a quiet cozy Christmas for us. Anna Rae and I went to an early Christmas Eve mass; I loved singing carols before mass, the sight of the altar with sparkling Christmas trees and tall pyramids of vivid pointsettas, the little herd of children in their holiday finery were amusingly serious and sincere as they talked with father about the meaning of Christ's birth before he gave us his homily, and HG and her friend Brittany sang a flawless and beautiful duet of What Child Is This (if ever I have been guilty of the sin of pride, it was then). On Christmas morning we opened gifts at about 8:30. As an only child being FIRST to see what Santa left under the tree was an unknown concern for HG. That never was the case with me. I would get up long before my brothers and sisters, poking and shaking packages, examining labels, wanting to know and wanting to be surprised at the same time. Now that HG is a young adult I don't feel the need to abandon the comfort of a warm bed even on Christmas morning. Besides it is SO dark, with sunrise only minutes before 8:00am. Once we opened gifts and the french bread stuffed with sausage, Canadian bacon, and Swiss cheese was in the oven, we retreated to our corners with our gifts; HG reading a book of Transit Maps of the World (she has had a big time fascination with maps ever since about age 5), Chris reading the Onion's Dumb Atlas of the World, and me struggling through the user's manual for our new digital photo frame. I have it working, well, sort of; I can load the pictures from a memory card but I busted the feature that allows us to upload from the computer. How? Well the directions say, " You can connect the Digital Photo Frame to a Windows or Macintosh computer to copy files to the built-in memory." Then the next section talks about connecting to a Windows Computer, no more mention of Macintosh. That was not going to stop me, I wanted to play with my Christmas toy, @#*& it! So I followed the Windows directions and the Pandigital icon came up and everything was looking A-OK, I started uploading a photo and the little wheel that turns on your screen to tell you "I'm busy, DON'T TOUCH!" just kept turning and turning and turning for a long, long time. I panicked and force quit every operation I could find and then turned off the frame and removed the USB cable. Big mistake, a few pages later in the manual it says, "It is important not to just unplug or switch off the Digital Photo Frame when files are being transferred...". But like I said, I can still load photos from a memory card so, all is not lost!
Have you noticed our perfect Christmas tree? Yes, it is perfectly fake. We have officially made the switch to an artificial tree this year. What I like most about a fake tree is that you don't need to worry about leaving the lights on too long and drying out the needles and burning down the house. What I like least about a fake tree is that the lights are kept on ALOT and I find myself becoming more jaded about the brightness they bring to otherwise dreary winter nights.
The biggest surprise on Christmas was the snow that started to fall at about midday.
A white Christmas is very rare in Seattle; I can think of only two in my 31 years here. I chopped and sauteed, preparing our holiday dinner while listening to seasonal music on the radio and the big wet flakes of snow swirled outside my big garden window, making it feel almost like Midwest Christmases from my past. Our dinner though was decidedly Pacific Northwest; Pistachio Encrusted Halibut with Spicy Cucumber Yogurt Dip and Skewered Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese, accompanied by a simple lettuce salad and tortellini pasta with roasted peppers and garlic. I did not make a dessert but there were plenty of cookies around for nibbling all day long. A good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out our very tasty feast.
Afterwards we retreated downstairs to watch a DVD, The Waitress which is a lighthearted romantic comedy. HG was not totally pleased with the ending but just the same we all agreed it was worth viewing. As we were happily cuddled in blankets on the couch and rocking chair, a little excitement ensued in the backyard as I saw a the beam of a tiny flashlight pass the window in front of us. "Hey Chris, someone is in our backyard!" I exclaim. He shoots off the couch pulls open the back door and shouts, "HEY BUDDY! What are doing in our yard?" Turns out it was our neighbor Sam. His girlfriend's black cat had escaped when a visiting relative opened the door. The cat is an indoor cat and is probably a real dufus about living in the wild neighborhood of feral cats, raccoons, and possums in Shorewood. I still don't know if the cat has been found. We loaned Sam our mega watt flashlight. In retrospect I am not so sure that opening the door BEFORE Chris knew who it was, was the best line of response. Adrenaline makes a person do crazy things.
So that was Christmas 2007 for us!

My Snowman Collection

Run your curser over the snowman images to enlarge them and see the ones that are underneath. I love Photobucket!

Solstice Party

We came dressed in our glitziest and gaudiest Christmas wear to wine, dine, and watch corny holiday movies with our friends Bethany and Jason. Bethany brings 'funwear' to new heights with her green crinoline and silver spandex legs. Jason works at Magnolia Audio Video, installing high end home theaters in homes, businesses, on yachts, and commercial fishing boats. They hosted their Solstice Party in the Design Center's 15 seat theater. On view was: The Muppets Christmas Carol, The Grinch, and Scrooged. It was the perfect start to my two week holiday break. The buffet table groaned with the weight of food and drink. Honestly folks, the holiday is just now gaining momentum for me and I think I have already gained the 7# that most Americans put on during this time of year. I have made only one batch of cut out cookies but goodies have abounded at work and of course both my parents and my in laws have sent goodies: Angel Food Candy (my hands down favorite Christmas sweet since childhood), candied nuts, and of course cheese from Laney's; curds, cheddar aged 2 and 4 years, baby whips, aged Parmesan, and the list goes on and on! But wait, I still have not given the list of treats from students: gift cards to Cupcake Royale and Starbucks, boxes of Ferrero Roche, Godiva chocolates, Rock-n-Roca (delicious beyond imagining!) and bars of chocolate flavored with Earl Grey Tea an Ginger (from Trader Joe's). I must confess, I gave about half of the 'loot' from school away to our church's holiday 'meal in a bag' program. This rain had better let up so I can run some of these excess calories off. Oh! The official results for the Jingle Bell Run have been posted and I ran the 5k in 25.51. This put me at 18th out of 183 in females aged 50-54, which is totally respectable in my opinion.
So what do I have planned for the next two weeks?
1. Reading Love in the Time of Cholera
2. Starting a classroom blog
3. Painting a bathroom
4. Cross country skiing
5. Cooking and enjoying it
6. Lunch with friends
7. More running
8. Watching more dvds
9. Phone calls to relatives and friends
10. Some time in my classroom; "What? You didn't know that teachers spent time at school during break? Tsk, tsk."

Cuties

I remember when a tangerine in my Christmas stocking was as expected as a candy cane. Now Clementines like these Cuties, share the produce aisle along with satsumas and a host of various tangerines. So why two boxes for a family of three? It was a BOGO (buy one, get one) of course. Even at that the price was, "Gasp!" $8.99. But the HG, like me, pouted that it just wouldn't be right to be without these fragrant, juicy, easy to peel citrus fruits during the holidays. They make the best of snacks in the classroom too and the whole room smells fresh (something you can't always say about a kindergarten classroom).
Speaking of kindergarten, look who visited my classroom yesterday! HG stopped by to meet my class and she helped at the Arts and Crafts table. Of course she thought they were all SO cute and they in turn were rather 'taken' with her. I do not encourage HG to pursue teaching as a career but I guess it wouldn't surprise me if she did, considering all the time she has spent visiting and helping in my classroom ever since she was very little.

Holiday Spirit

Last night I poured my holiday spirit into creating the playlist you see on the right side of my blog. I asked the opinion of HG (honey girl) and she said with a groan, "Eww...I don't like to be bombarded with music when I am reading a blog!" I must say I agree with her and I am tempted to take it off. I think though I will keep it on through this month and let you readers out there give your opinion. There is a little button in the left hand corner of the playlist that you can click to turn the music off if you find it obnoxious. If you listen to nothing other than Jingle Bells by Anup, it will be worth your while.
So what else has kept me busy? Well, last Sunday HG and I ran in the Jingle Bell Run. That was fabulous fun! There were over 11,000 runners! Most of the runners wear gaudy holiday costumes and everyone wears bells. Our attire was decidedly tame. We were in the 5k runners wave and by my watch my time, 25.53 looked very good! Official times won't be posted till Dec. 21st. It actually started to snow briefly as I came running out from under the Convention Center, which gave me the burst of adrenaline I needed to run up the exit ramp and on to the finish line.