If I had the time...

I would tell you all about the lovely wedding we went to yesterday at Fauntleroy Community Church. I did not bring my camera as it was the wedding of a photographer and about a third of the guests were photographers or stylists and they certainly had it covered. The bride and groom were co-workers of the DH when he was in advertising at Macy's. The reception was at Salty's on Alki and the food was a wonderful surf and turf buffet. Delicious! The view of downtown Seattle as day faded to night and the lights of the city came on, was breathtaking!

Or I would tell you about the picture that DH took of the elderly lady walking with a cane in White Center as she led her miniature PONY down the sidewalk.

Or I would have a list of the treasures for sale at Florabundance, the yearly Arboretum sale. I exercised restraint and only bought tomatoes, beets and peppers.

But, I must write the parent letter for my classroom and I want to maybe, just maybe, get out into the yard, now that the fog is burning off.

Weekends are altogether too short!

Cock a Doodle Doo!

Cock a Doodle Doo!
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

I didn't get up with the roosters today but I was at the Kornowskes' by 9:15 this morning watching their 'bad boy' roosters sequestered in their mini-pen to prevent them from picking on 'the girls' who have free rein of pecking and scratching everywhere in the yard and pasture. The 'boys' were crowing with all their might as if indignant at their segregated status.

I was back in Kent to run with Lindsey as Joe and Val hiked behind us. We covered six miles of long hills around Lake Youngs. I managed to keep pace (sort of) with the long legged strides of my teen aged running companion. A quiet doe crossed our running path, frog chorus greeted us from trail side bogs, and the smell of skunk cabbage was unmistakable at some points.

As I was having my rural run the DH was on a flight to Port Townsend with our pilot friend, Tom. It was a lovely day of clear skies and temperatures of about 65.

So much is blooming; really too much to mention. Tomorrow I will go to the NW Perennial Alliance Plant Sale. With all the compost spreading I have been doing I have become very aware of my plant inventory and I hope I will be able to exercise some self control in my purchases.

Easter Sunday...

Easter Dinner
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

...was very wet but relaxing just the same. We went to our friends' Joe & Valerie. We were joined by their other friends, Penny and Emil. The food was plentiful and delicious and served in their newly remodeled kitchen. It is SO lovely and spacious!


The Egg Collectors: Galen, Lindsey, and Nathaniel found 99 eggs hidden in the pasture in about a half hour's time. I think we all enjoyed the gathering a little more than usual knowing that Valerie begins her chemo for breast cancer this Friday and cooking food and entertaining are going to be on the back burner at their house for a while. As Penny said at one point during our conversation today, there is no woman stronger than Valerie, she will get through this and we are all here to help her in what ever way we can; both practical and prayer-wise. Click on the mosaic above to see more of today's Easter celebrating and Valerie with her new SHORT haircut! It is very stylish and looks great on her.

Rejoice!

Happy Easter everyone! Although spring has been slow in coming, plenty is in bloom here in the Pacific Northwest. My camera focused low to the ground today but there are plenty of bushes and trees in blossom too. Our own pear is close to bursting out; my guess is a week away...if we get sun. If you run your cursor over the pictures during the slide show it will show you the titles and names of the plants.

My mom is in the hospital tonight recovering from gastrointestinal problems that we all hope are getting closer to resolution. It is NOT cancer, and for that, our family offers up prayers of gratitude this Easter Sunday. In fact, she fully intends on being home for Easter dinner. She was quite upset at not being able to fulfill the role of Easter Bunny for her youngest grand kids and she was VERY particular with my sisters about the details for the Easter dessert she had planned, even as she left for the hospital Friday night! I love you Mom! I wish I were with you in Green Bay!

Clear Skies At Last

The rain stopped yesterday and everyone is talking about it even Flat Suzy the Duck who is visiting from Lodi, WI was getting a little peeved at all the gray skies.



So besides carting Suzy down to Pike Place Market, here is the short list of what I have done with my Spring Break;

1. Went to SAM with the DH to view the Colonial America art exhibit on display from Yale. Very good from a perspective of learning about American history but not really my favorite type of painting. I had to think of it as a history lesson, not art appreciation.

2. Went to a play: The Underpants (Not at all racy, as you might think) The play was set in Germany in 1910. It was originally written as a satire of what the playwright saw as the ridiculousness of the emerging middle class. The lead in the play has her bloomers drop (she didn't tie them tight enough; pre-elastic days you know) during a parade, as she is standing on tiptoe to wave at the king as he passes by. All kinds of silliness result between her, her totally embarrassed husband, a gossipy neighbor, and males attending the parade who also saw her drawers drop. It wasn't gut busting humor but light hearted and I appreciated trying to understand the lens through which the play may have been viewed in 1910.

3. Lots of chores: cleaning files, cleaning the oven, paying bills.

4. Talking and writing: on the phone, on the computer; to the daughter, sisters, mom and dad. it is so nice to have time to talk, time to listen.

5. Reading: Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.


This is actually a reread for me. I first read it in the 1970s. Then last year when I read Omnivores Dilemma and Sand County was referenced, my memory was jogged so here I am reading it again, with new eyes. The book was published in 1949 by his son, Luna. Leopold is considered the father of conservationism. I find his writing style very lovely, almost poetic. Also, the setting is Wisconsin, near Sauk County, and the flora and fauna he writes of are familiar to me from my youth. I get a burst of nostalgia for days gone by tramping through the woods with my grandma or grandpa DeNoble, having them point out flowers, bushes, berries, and signs of wild life.

6. Today I have 4 yards of compost/manure to spread in various needy garden beds. But first there is breakfast and I will stroll around my yard, cereal bowl in hand, looking for, as Leopold suggests, 'birthdays' amongst my plants.

"Tell me of what plant-birthday a man takes notice, and I shall tell you a good deal about his vocation, his hobbies, his hay fever, an the general level of his ecological education." from Ch. 7 in Sand County Almanac.

My 'Little Black Dress'

I wish I could say this is me IN the dress, but it's not. It IS the dress I bought today at Ann Taylor which is not a place I regularly shop, this was most certainly a splurge. I already have the perfect red shoes to wear with it and I think I can find a scarf or jewelry with red to spark it up. We have a wedding to go to this month and I have not bought a dress in over a year. Skirts yes, dress, no. I am not overly fond of shopping, especially if it means I must look for something specific, so I was really glad to find this little classic in less than two hours. Why is it that I can find a dozen or more dresses that would have looked good on me when I was 30 but next to nothing for middle aged me? Dress Barn is OK for work clothes, Marshalls is good for browsing and finding an occasional 'steal', Chicos has colorful clothes but nothing with staying power, Target and even Fred Meyers are OK for jeans or t-shirts, and don't even SPELL Macy's in front of the DH, we crossed that store off my list when he was laid off! So today was my lucky shopping day!



Pleated Skirt Sweater Dress
A classic sweater dress with a removable self-belt. Rolled edge at scoop neckline and short raglan sleeves. Waist seam with pleating details at front skirt. Pull-through loops at waist. 20 1/4" length.

Where Does The time Go?

Today I worked at school for close to 5 hours. We strung up the wind socks that the kids made last week. They will be so surprised to see them hanging from the ceiling beams with their streamers all aflutter. That job alone took over 3 hours! Then we reassigned kids in their 'Activity Center' groups. We also selected books for next week's guided reading groups and did a bit of copying on the copy machine. Lastly, I rearranged every one's table mates. I do that nearly every three months and it always causes a stir.
At home, Hubs was exercising at the Y, putzing in his studio, reading, cleaning the kitchen, grocery shopping, and surfing the Internet before leaving at 3:20 for his bus route. Then, at last the sun made a brief appearance and I proceeded to do a serious pruning of the wisteria which as you may know is the Hub's favorite botanical feature in our yard. He loves it so much that he finds it hard to take pruning very seriously (Kind of like the plant version of 'spare the rod and spoil the child'). So every year I take the pruning into my own hands and then I shudder to think of how he will respond. Today I was sure to make a scrumptious dinner of Chicken Enchiladas in a Green Sauce with freshly made salsa for dinner. I HAD to tell him about the pruning; it was one of those things like a big bad secret that was hanging in my mind. He kind of scowled and threatened to take revenge on not one, but TWO plants that I love. I did remind him that I AM the one that knows more in the line of gardening and I HAD consulted specifics on Wisterias before grabbing the loppers. He hasn't seen it from the lower yard. We shall see if his rant is 'to be continued'.

Our Hawaiian Visitors

The sunshine was in their smiles but certainly not in Seattle's weather. This is Chase and his mommy, Tanya. I taught with Tanya here in Seattle oh so long ago. When was that Tanya? 2004? I have kept up with The Adventures of Chase but this is the first time I got to meet him. He is a charmer, that's for sure! A walk on Alki would have been nice if the weather were warmer but it was gray and windy and only about 45 degrees out for most of today. Certainly not a good beach walk day to Hawaiians.



I had fun being 'Auntie Teresa' and brought out some old toys from Anna Rae's closet. Chase loved making music and he was a real good listener to his mommy and played only with his fingers, not his toes which was a mighty tempting idea.



He has nimble little fingers and spent a lot of time with the Fischer Price School House putting the people into the desks and cars and on the seesaw on the playground. He was easily occupied by these toys for the better part of three hours which really amazed me. You're right Barbara, hanging on to the old Fisher Price toys is a very good idea!

Unfortunately...

the Dracaena needed to have their dead foliage lopped off and I am not at all sure they will regenerate from the root system. My plan is to plant pole beans up the trunks for this season. If no greenery emerges we will need to completely cut them down and pull out the trunks. Surprise! Surprise! Today it was sunny in Seattle and although it wasn't above 50, if you were working in the sun you could toss aside your polar fleece. I worked for at least three hours preparing a bed for lettuces and moving a rose bush (an odd rose bush that likes partial shade). At this time of year the amount of work in our gardens is formidable and I must say I was certainly feeling yesterday's ten mile run. Our house is the perfect size for retiring in, but the yard work; that's another story.

It is the first day of Spring Break for Seattle schools and this is what it looked like on Alki beach this morning; rainy, gray and cold. It was only 39 degrees this morning when I did my first ever 10 mile run from Fauntleroy to Alki and back. Cheery yellow daffodils and blossoming cherry trees punctuated an otherwise dreary run. I wasn't the only fool out running and we were all soaking wet. I wore my most waterproof jacket and still managed to get soaked to the skin. The hot shower at the Y at the end of it all was welcome solace. My time for the ten miles was one hour and 37 minutes. Report cards stood in the way of writing a post last week. They are behind me now and I look forward to a week of running and hopefully some gardening if this rain ever lets up. I might just give up and pull weeds in my rain gear. At least the roots should be easy enough to pull up.

It feels good...

to come in first! My time was 29.01 This was not my best but it put me at first place for females ages 51-60 in this morning's Cove to Clover 5k which was, as I had predicted, a real butt burner with lots of up hill running and twists and turns in the first mile. I think my time put me at something like 20th overall but I am not sure. It was a small race of about 350 people and the proceeds went to Highline Food Bank. I do know the male for my age group had a time of about 25 minutes and the best overall time for a male was 20 and some odd seconds and the females' best overall was 24 something. When I drove to the start line it was SNOWING! Yes, there was snow again in Seattle. So it was a COLD race too. My lungs protested against the cold air and I had a bit of a coughing jag when I finished but I feel SO much better than last weekend. Mick Kelly's was packed and the beer was flowing at the finish line. I think I will make this run a regular on my schedule instead of doing the usual St. Patrick's Day Dash downtown. Although I know there were some crazy folks who did BOTH races today; they really earned their beer!


First!
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

By time I got home the sun was shining and the wind blowing. Gale force winds are forecasted but I don't think they are that fierce (at least not yet). It is still cold enough to know that winter has one more week with us and we keep our winter clothes handy and the space heater hums at my feet. Even these Crocuses are huddled together and keeping their petals wrapped close.


The day is slipping away so quickly and I really need to work on report cards for my students. Remember the little guy I wrote about back in December, the one who has a Sensory Integration Dysfunction? His behavior IS improving; he still doesn't produce work like the other kids but at least he joins us at the tables or on the carpet, he rarely asks to 'stir up the crayons' anymore, and chairs were overturned only once last week. Best of all, he came into the classroom on Tuesday and after greeting me he says, "You know, I love school!". Now THAT'S progress!

I've surrendered...

to the heavy stuff; amoxycilin and cough syrup with codeine. Today I finally gave in and went to the Dr. filled my two prescriptions and stopped at Full Tilt for ice cream which is the only thing that feels good on my throat. It was tough to decide but I chose a small bowl of Toasted Coconut and Jameson Caramel (that's Jameson as in whiskey, which is said to be good for a cold, right?) The Dr. thinks I have a bacterial infection. I have not had to take antibiotics in a LONG, LONG time. When he said amoxycilin I was thinking 'bottle of pink liquid' which I gave to my daughter for ear infections as a baby. Boy but was I disappointed when I saw this bottle of 'horse pills' that I have to take twice a day. Those, along with water, not whiskey, should do the trick.
In addition to getting a possible 'cure' I was lucky enough to miss a staff meeting. A messy staff meeting at that; the one where we set budget priorities. That Washington education budget shortfall that we read about in the news, the $8B one? It's hitting home. Seattle School District has a shortage of about $25 million.
I am sure I will post more about the changes that means for me and my Sanislo
colleagues once our budget is finalized. It ain't gonna be pretty!

Round Two...

of my cold is worse than round one. The hardest part is getting a good nights sleep. If I can't breathe through my nose, I wake up in the middle of the night with a sore throat or a nagging cough. Don't talk to me about your arsenal of cough remedies, nasal spray, nettie pot, Sudafed, Nyquil, syrup for just the cough, gargling with salt water; I've tried them all. They work, kind of, temporarily, but the cold is still here. It has been three weeks now, I can't smell a thing, don't like to cook, eating is no fun (imagine that) and I think I must be getting cranky.

This morning I spent 3 hours sitting in bed with the laptop reading newspapers and a very interesting six page article in the Atlantic about how this recession will reshape the population centers of our country. Then when my eyes couldn't focus on print anymore I went to TED and listened some interesting talks one of which was by Elizabeth Gilbert:



Isn't the Internet wonderful? I am one who does not sit still easily and there it was, three hours, "poof!" gone. The DH had encouraged me to cut back on my exercise routine and so I did not run Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. But I just couldn't take another day without putting in a couple, three, four miles. So I ran, during a break of blue (we had snow, hail, rain, and sun today)and I it felt great. I am looking forward to the the Cove to Clover 5k next Sunday, cold or no cold.

As for the FAFSA and CSS Profile, I'm almost done. Otherwise I wouldn't do something as frivolous as writing a post. A phone call to the U of Chicago in the morning should clear up my last few questions.

Speaking of frivolous, here is Thing One and Thing Two along with me in the classroom last Friday as we celebrated the children's author Dr. Seuss:

The Red Tape...

of life is engulfing me. Excuse me for a month or so as I delve into taxes and the money muck of our life. The FAFSA and the CSS (the worksheet alone is 18 pages and there is a fee to file) are sitting on my computer desktop, waiting for me to lay bare our financial status. This year the hardest part is looking at the losses. I find no comfort in knowing that I have company. Ah well, I am not one to shirk hard work. It's time to dig in and be done with the mess. I'll post again when I've put this onerous task behind me. Since Honey Girl will graduate in 2010 this is the last time I have to f@%* with financial aid forms. If you are wondering what all my fuss is about read this NY Times article. And my advice to those of you with young kids; why are you sitting on your thumbs; get GET.

Winter's Encore

...happened this past Thursday. Darned if that Groundhog wasn't right. We had snow Wednesday night and this is what I saw Thursday morning:

a blanket of white in the blue light of early morning;



Snowdrops nodding towards the icy crystals at their feet;



Schools had a two hour late start so the DH and I took a walk in Shorewood. The Olympics stood out in their winter whites.

Home...

to 5o degree weather and a freshly mowed lawn. I took the bus home from the airport for the first time. $1.50 is a whole lot cheaper than a $25. cab. It did take 50 minutes (mostly because of the wait time at the bus stop) but the weather was so lovely I didn't even mind the 7 block walk from the bus stop. I had just enough time to unpack and put together a cheese and sausage platter for the wine tasting. The 7 year old Wisconsin cheddar from Laney was a hit as was the old fashioned German sausage from Maplewood Meat Shop. The Glen Fiona 2007 Basket Press Reserve Syrah more than made up for the nasty corked wine we brought to a tasting earlier in the month.

I had a wonderful time visiting family and friends in Wisconsin, packing in a lot of visiting, shopping, eating, and card playing in seven days. Now here I have been sitting for 3 hours plus, organizing photos on Flickr, listening to Boot Liquor on SomaFM (if you must listen to country music, this is the one to listen to). It's time I shake myself away, maybe go on a run and do a little yard work. The rain is due to return.

But before I wrap this up, I want to say "Happy Birthday, Jeff!"



Isn't my younger brother handsome? He's hardworking, generous, and blessed with a serious 'gift of gab'. Enjoy your day, Jeff!

Nose Woes

My cousins Barb and Michelle posted Nose Stories on their blogs and asked readers to share their own. I have two.

It was during holiday meal preparations at my Grandparents'. Baked beans must've been on the menu. I was probably 4 years old. I found a dried navy bean on the floor. Why oh why did I put a navy bean up my nose, I do not know. But that is what I did totally without bribery or coercion. STUPID!! Once it was there it wouldn't come out and of course I panicked and was totally terrified to tell my parents and especially my grandfather, who was somewhat stern and had a 'smartest man in the world' complex. I remember lots of tears and commotion and the threat that a bean plant would grow clear into my brain. Then I remember a white light bulb inches from my face, grandpa holding my arms tight so I wouldn't wiggle and he could get a good look. I remember talk of using tweezers and the feel of a man's big white handkerchief against my face streaked with hot tears and being told to "Blow hard!" and the bean flew out and the relief was enormous, both physically and emotionally.

Memory number two is really my daughter's Nose Story. It would be interesting to hear her version. She was probably 6 years old we were going out for lunch at Kid Africa's near Green Lake. "Mom, Dad, I have a bloody nose." she mumbles from the back seat. Sure enough, vivid red blood is coursing from her nose. Chris dashes into Kid Africa's, comes back with fists full of napkins. We are parked, the back door opened, pinching her nose, sopping up blood. It seemed to take forever to stop, she is quiet yet fidgety. You know, Honey Girl is almost never quiet (unless she is reading a book). I tilt her head back and peer into the nostrils, one is a black and empty, the other has something blood soaked. I of course suspect the worst; it looks like brain tissue coming out of her nose. I express alarm, trying not to be alarmed. 'The daughter' begins to cry. "It's a tissue she sobs." "What tissue?" I ask as none of us had colds and I am not a reliable, save the day mommy, with tissue up my sleeve. "Barbie's tissue she cries," flushed red with embarrassment. You know those Barbie doll sets with the little shoes, hair brushes, and make up kits. Well, the one in the back seat with her had a teeny tiny Kleenex box and she had sampled the tissue,inhaling when she should have exhaled and "Whoosh!" up her nose went Barbie's tissue! That brought some relief for me but we were still stuck with how in the world to get the dang thing out. DH opens the glove box and hauls out a pair of needle nosed pliers with green handles, she shrieks, I shriek and he decides "Maybe this is NOT the tool to use." I do not think we stayed to eat. I do remember ordering milk shakes and heading home and I think she blew it out on her own. I guess it is up to Honey Girl to tell the rest of the story!

Visiting the Frozen Tundra

I haven't been posting, I'm not teaching (it is Mid Winter Break) and I am not gardening. I am on a much needed vacation visiting relatives in the Mid West. To save time and catch you up to speed I will give you the short list of what I have been doing:
1. Friday 2/13 flew into Midway Airport in Chicago. Schlepped me and my luggage aboard the #55 bus to my daughter's apartment. She was delighted to open the stinky French cheese I had brought. She fixed a delicious tartiflette for dinner. Frans chocolate caramels with smoked sea salt made for a perfect dessert. Went to sleep easily with a light snow falling in the lamplight outside her window.
2. Saturday 2/14 went shopping with the daughter in downtown Chicago. Bought a rice cooker/steamer Cuisinart cooking appliance for the daughter as well as shoes at Nordstrom. (What's wrong with this picture; I am the one who was supposed to get shoes!) Met with daughter's boyfriend in the pm and went to the Art Institute and saw a great exhibit of work by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munck. Once back at the apartment I grocery shopped and cooked dinner of basmati rice and chicken and in the new appliance. It's tricky; I think it will be useful once she gets the cooking times down. I had doubled the recipe and the cooking times were off; I ended up sauteing the chicken on the stove top.


3. Sunday 2/15 I cleaned the top of their refrigerator and rearranged a few dishes and appliances to make room for the rice cooker/steamer. Daughter,the boyfriend, a roommate, and myself all took the Metra downtown again to see the movie Coraline. It is wonderful! It is in 3-D which was a new experience for me. The animation is riveting and the story line is kind of spooky. A little girl living in a secluded creepy house somewhere near Ashland, Oregon with 2 parents who are too consumed with their garden writing careers to give her so much as five minutes of their time, discovers that she has a parallel mom and dad behind a secret door in the wall. The parents behind the wall try to woo Coraline away to their side with candy, circus shows and toys; every indulgence a child could possibly want. They want her to leave her real parents and stay with them but first she must agree to have buttons sewed in the place of her eyes, which she wisely refuses to do. Lots of danger and terror ensue as she tries to get back to her 'real parents'. Upon watching this movie I thought maybe nightmares such as this were the reason my own daughter refused to wear buttons on clothing as a child. After the movie we went to an Armenian Restaurant and had a delicious dinner. I had a combination plate. My favorite part was this huge lamb meatball in a yogurt mint sauce. When back at the apartment I finished reading Nine Parts of Desire and I left it behind for 'the daughter' to read. Then I finished 'the daughter's' taxes.
4. Monday 2/16 Walked 'the daughter' to campus and said our good byes, not tearfully, but wistfully; I wished I could've stayed longer. I made a necessary trip to the bursar's office to iron out a wrinkle in the bill. Then I took lots of aimless pictures of the old buildings covered in naked vines and church steeples cutting crisply into blue winter skies.


Once back at the apartment, I packed up, dragged my luggage to the Metra station, back to downtown again and once on Michigan and Van Buren, walked about 6 blocks to the Union Train Station. I think I had to ask more people how to find the Amtrak gate for Milwaukee than I have ever had to ask for directions to anything else. Boarded the train to Milwaukee
just in the nick of time. This was fun. The train is comfortable. I read my new book and ate the mozarella and tomatoe sandwich I had bought at the Corner Bakery. An hour and a half later I was hugging my sister Lynn in Milwaukee. We went shopping at the Boston Store and this time I shopped for me and bought two pair that were about equal in price to the one pair I had bought my daughter. Then we went to have coffee at Alterra, a coffee shop overlooking Lake Michigan. It is in a very cool building that was an old mill with a water wheel. Then we met our niece, Terra and her friend and we all went out to dinner at Wicked Ale brew pub. The hamburger I had was delicious with blue cheese and grilled mushrooms. Hugged the sister good bye (That was pretty incredible for her to drive from Madison to Milwaukee just to see me!) Niece Terra was then kind enough to chauffer me to Green Bay. We talked and talked about family, friends, relationships, jobs, and running and injuries. The one and a half hour drive went quickly. Then there I was sitting with my mom and dad at their kitchen table smiling and talking for an hour more. What a full day!
5. Tues. 2/17 Walked in the morning with my mom. Then we went to Laney Cheese and bought 4 yr. and 7 yr. old cheddar. Went to Fleet Farm with dad and looked at everything from bird seed to garden seed and plumbing and light fixtures. Second sister Lisa, her husband Tim, and nephew Tanner arrive, more hugs more talk. Tanner, mom and I play the dice game Left Right and Center and then the card game Uno. Mom is lucky to have a grandson that loves games as much as she does. 6:00 and the pork and beef roasts are done, my brother Jeff (Happy Birthday, Jeff!)arrives and we sit down to a delicious meal finished off with scham tortes and strawberries. Plenty more talk and a game of Rummy between mom and I follows. Now there is snow falling outside. It is so peaceful and pretty, hardly appears to be the storm that the weather report forecasted. But I guess strong winds could change all that. I know no one here is happy to see more snow, but I am secretly pleased. After all, it is still winter in the 'frozen tundra.'

Kreativ Blogger Award

An award has been bestowed. Aleurs! Woe is me! Ok Barbara, of Our Life Together..., this is the one and only time! Audience, I am agreeing to this only because Barbara has been a faithful commenter on my blog for probably two years and she is a fellow kindergarten teacher who burns an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm in the teaching of her young students. She is a colleague and blogger I would love to meet in person. Thank you, Barbara.
This is it though. (Those of you who blog know that awards are bait for readers, right?) Which is ok; but I blog mainly for me. It is my selfish pleasure and my gardening journal (see side bar). So here goes, I keep the thread going by bestowing the award on 7 others:

Rules:
1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.



1. Tanya, teacher friend and mommy to Chase: The Adventures of Chase Talk about a woman who tries to do everything to perfection, Tanya's it. She's a dedicated ELL teacher, mother to 19 month old Chase, soon to celebrate her second anniversary with her husband, Chris, a serious yogini, and she's beautiful. Along with all that,she has the good fortune to live in Hawaii.

2. Barbara, cousin and a Middle School Special Ed. teacher: Half Past Kissin Time.com She received a Golden Apple for her teaching a couple years back, need I say more?

3. Michelle, cousin and seriously funny sister to #2 Barbara:Second Chances

4. David Perry, garden photographer extraordinaire; I long for the recognition that artistic photos like David's give to a garden. He no longer allows comments so I doubt that he knows he has paisons like myself idolizing his garden photograpohy.
A Photographers Garden Blog

5. Billy Goodnik, a Santa Barbara gardener and musician; It is just our nature to admire someone who is a wee bit more ahead of the gardening crowd. Of course he has mild winters and early springs to his advantage. The Gardenwise Guy

6. Rosemary, She's an enthusiastic gardener, a retiree from the field of education, and she's our neighbor in the Great White North of Ontario, CA Visit her at Rosemary's Blog


7. I know I am supposed to give the award to 7 bloggers, but my reading arsenal jumps to newspapers and Boing Boing and the West Seattle Blog and NPR after I peruse the above six blogs. Sorry folks, that's all I write.

Cove to Clover 5k

This morning after more than an hour reading a book and the paper online in bed along with my half pot of coffee, the DH says, "Get on up, let's go out for breakfast!" Off we went to Mick Kelly's Irish Pub in Burien. This was our first visit and it won't be the last. The food was great and the prices reasonable. I got the 1-1-1 which is one egg, one buttermilk pancake (huge!) and one strip of bacon and a side of fried red potatoes (delish!). The DH ordered the corned beef hash with one egg, and a biscuit. They have plenty of authentic Irish fare on their menu which we would be interested in trying some day. Only the coffee was a disappointment; but remember, I already had my half pot. While waiting for our food the DH grabs a copy of the Stranger from the rack at the front door as reading fodder and he also drags along a flier for a new 5k organized by the pub to benefit the Highline Area Food Bank and to be held on March 15th (How Irish!) It goes from the Cove in Normandy Park up into downtown Burien, ending at Mick Kelly's of course. Now this will be a real butt burner. It goes from 33ft. to 420ft. in just under a mile!

As if that wasn't ambitious enough, I also registered for the Rock 'n Roll 1/2 Marathon on June 27th. I was encouraged to do this one by my friend Valerie who will also be running it with her two kids; they will be 16 and 14 by then. There is a band at every mile along the route and an evening concert free to race participants. Sounds like fun!

Year of The Ox

Sometimes you happen on these surprising things and you happen to have your camera along and it is worth doing a U turn to go back and take a few shots. That is how it was for me this morning. I was on my way to Costco heading down 4th Ave. and I hear this drumming, I look to my left and see this 'laughing buddha' hopping up and down around TWO dancing lions! I got out of the car just as it was ending. They are quite splendid lions, much brighter than some of the older ones I have seen in previous years. My guess is that they were there at the request of the shop owner; it was either a florist or rug shop.



This was quite cute. The parents were taking their little children up close and encouraging them to pet the fuzzy pompoms on the lions' ears, hoping to calm the probable terror they felt when the lions were dancing.



Then at Costco I spent a whopping $160. and pretty much stuck to my list. I restrain myself from going there more than every 2 or 3 months. Actually, considering the immense quantities they package everything, two people do not need to go more than that.

I also ran 8 miles early this morning. I'm gaining stamina; a half marathon in June may be possible!

Nihao!

Hello and Gung Hay Fat Choy from my kindergarten students in 102A! Can you guess who is who? This week we read Ernie Wan's New Year and there was lively discussion about how some of the children celebrated with their family or in their temple and how many Li See envelopes they collected. We discovered that most of our class was born in the Year of the Ram or Monkey. Monkeys, oh yeah, that I can see! On Friday they made these lion puppets and they were SO thrilled! It isn't very often that we do craft projects anymore in Kindergarten and the masks were a BIG hit.

Oh, How I Love ...

my man in his uniform:

I had to coax the smile out of him, can you tell? Today is his first day going solo driving bus for Metro. The sun is shining, there is not a snowflake nor wisp of fog anywhere. So it should be a perfect drive for him. I'm eager to hear his 'first day' stories. Today I spent in my yard cutting down the last of the dozens of swordtail ferns. They are in our rockery and my back was to the south in the sun, the warm, glorious sun! I really should have been struggling through the FAFSA form for our daughter but I just couldn't say no to the sun.

New Beginnings

for my newly wed friend Carolyn and Doug. She was so relaxed, so beautiful, and so happy; a perfect bride. Carolyn and Doug have 5 children between them; two of the boys are Michael, so one has opted to go by Felix (How cool is that?) All the kids walked their parents down the aisle to the altar, that was very touching. The music was provided by a Celtic quartet and Michael (who, 10 years ago, I taught in kindergarten), was one of the violinists.

The pastor quoted scripture but the words of his homily that stuck with me most were: "A good marriage is like sandpaper, it smooths the rough edges we encounter in life."

So this week Carolyn will take time off from being Art teacher extraordinaire. She and Doug will loll at a beach on the north shore of Oahu enjoying their new beginning as wife and husband. It was snowing here in Seattle as the ceremony began; that Hawaii sun will be much appreciated.







Yes, the cake was as scrumptious as it looked.

In the Oven...

I baked soil at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. That is how you sterilize soil for indoor potting purposes. I washed fifteen 4 inch pots and tomorrow I will begin planting the starts of geraniums and perhaps a few seeds for leafy greens. So maybe you think baking soil is absurd. What do you think of baking a cell phone? Well, that is just what the DH did. But first he washed it (the cell phone). The washing; it wasn't intentional. He was hand washing a backpack and the cell phone was tucked away in an inside pocket. What to do he thought. Then he went to 'Wiki How To' and discovered that sometimes cell phones that have been in water can be baked dry in a 150 degree oven for 40 minutes wrapped in foil. Trouble is, he doesn't navigate very well around the oven. He turned the wrong control knob and ended up baking it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Baked cell phone; it didn't work. Baked soil; no bugs there!

Book Challenge

Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your blog along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
Rosemary at Rosemary's Blog Spot is where I found this challenge. Remember now, I don't take part in many memes,contests, or challenges, but Rosemary is a faithful blog buddy and the Book Challenge piqued my interest.
This is an 'old favorite' that I plucked off the shelf closest to our computer:

The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux.

"Go," said the conductor.
But I didn't want to go, for besides the overcrowded compartments of Europeans and Americans there were the compartments of Kurds, Turks, Iranians, and Afghans who slept on top of each other and cooked stews between their berths over dangerously flaring kerosene stoves.

The ferry moved off, hooting into the black lake.

(I love the last sentence!)

1-20-09

Like the T-shirt? I do! The idea of taking my picture in front of the TV was to capture the inauguration and possibly Barack Obama but that was not to be; oh well at least his likeness is on my shirt, and there is no mistaking the date! The student body of our school watched the swearing in of Barack Obama as 44th President on the big screen in our performance center. We were a respectful crowd and everyone clapped heartily at all the right places. Teachers were given the option to stay and hear the new President's speech with their class but I could see 'ants in the pants' of more than one of my young students so we headed back to the classroom to read Time For Kids which was appropriate because it was all about the white house. I appreciated his speech much more when I could watch it in the peace and quiet of an empty classroom when the kids went out to lunch recess. There are many lines from his speech that will be quoted in the newspapers but this is one that reached out to me: "as the world grows smaller our common humanity shall reveal itself." As peace is sought in so many corners of our world, I do hope that is true.

Morning Fog ....

and then plenty of blue skies made for a perfect day three of this holiday weekend. This morning I went for a walk around Green Lake with my friend Christine and we talked teacher talk and gave family updates and commented on the many various dogs that were out walking with their people. The air quality may not be the best but everyone was taking time to go outside today and soak up the sun. We ate brunch at Julia's in Wallingford after our walk. This is a restaurant that has been a favorite of ours since the '80s. I had the Hobo Breakfast of scrambled eggs, potatoes, green peppers, crumbled bacon, and tomatoes and rye toast on the side. Christine had the vegetable scramble. It was a full meal deal for both of us.



On my way home I stopped at Mee Kwa Mooks and took this picture of a barge headed to the south Sound with the Olympics in the background.



Later in the afternoon the DH and I did a mock run of his bus route along Alki and the beach was busy with people lounging, walking, running and skating. We stopped, bought ourselves a Tullys and lolled about for a while appreciating the Seattle skyline with Mt. Baker and the Cascades on the horizon. No camera this time, but it was lovely.

NPR's This I Believe

...is a very special one this week. It comes from a kindergartner and he compiled his list as part of his classroom homework for celebrating the 100th day of school. His name is Tarak McLain and he lives in Austin Texas. His list is pared down to 30 beliefs to fit into the 4 and a half minute radio slot. Go here to listen to pearls of wisdom from a six year old.

The Sun...

broke through the clouds at about this afternoon. What a treat! It had been so very long since we had any appreciable blue sky around here. I really enjoyed the two hours of pruning and puttering in my gardens. The hellebore are raising their white and mauve buds up from the wet and humousy floor of my shade gardens, snowdrops are green shards poking up along the front walk, and the hazel nut tree is loaded with catkins that look like plump yellow caterpillars. Lots of growth all around but I do think the snow and cold weather killed the tall dracenas, those palm-like plants that are on either side of the stairs to the lower gardens.

In the classroom, the days just flew by. They are reading and writing so much more and they sang energetically and with big smiles for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assembly. The little boy I wrote about last week managed to stay in the room except for two incidents which is an improvement over last week. The Sp. Ed. supervisor came to observe him and next week we meet to discuss her observations and suggestions for a plan to get him closer to involvement in the learning that is going on in the classroom. He'll help count the lunch tickets or he likes to hold my pencil pointers and help me lead the class in reading the morning message, he colors if I color with him, he is able to write his name but for some reason he has refused to do so since the week after Thanksgiving, he wants to be my helper, he organized my pens at the document camera and on Friday he asked if he could
clean the sponges after lunch. He is sweet, so sweet; laying in the window corner on the pillows, feet in the air, saying "teacher, teacher, teacher!" but not really looking at me. I say "Yes?" He says, "I love you." and my heart jumps. This is the same boy that throws things, kicks tables, and wrecks havoc, all in the blink of an eye. He IS a challenge and a puzzle. I want so badly to make school more successful for him.

The DH is now a bona fide bus driver. He passed his CDL (Commercial Driver's License)on Wednesday. He drove his route alongside an experienced driver, picking up passengers for the first time today. He ran over a couple 'turtles'(traffic dots) and maybe one curb. He will be up at 4:30 in the morning to do the same thing tomorrow. He will be glad when he is on his assigned afternoon rush hour shift. I enjoy when he comes home; hearing about all he has learned, the people he has met. Just the confidence and enthusiasm he has for this new job is refreshing for both of us.

Nine Dollars...

in quarters later our Subaru is clean both inside and out. There's something very satisfying about washing a thoroughly grimy car. The past two days have been blessedly free of snow, wind, and rain. Seattle is fortunate to be in the rain shadow of the Olympics and missed the disastrous flooding that hit neighboring communities all the way up to Canada and south to Oregon. I think it was Wednesday morning that we woke up to 3 inches of rain in the 'new and improved'(easier to read) rain gauge that I gave DH for Christmas. Honestly, flying or taking a boat out of here were the only options for three days. I read today in the Seattle Times that I5 is now open in both directions and rail traffic is also in business but it is going to take years and a lot of money for the people along the rivers to get out from all the mud and destruction. Weather havoc and the increasing number of job losses with the Post Intelligencer, Microsoft, and Boeing most recently in the Seattle area, the war in Iraq and the horrors the Israelis are inflicting on the Palestinians (We CAN help!); this has to be the most depressing start of a new year in my lifetime. I feel so fortunate to be sitting in a dry, warm house with food in the refrigerator.

So how was the first week back in the classroom? I would like to say "Sublime" but it fell short of that superlative. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for my job, I crave the structure and purposefulness that work gives to my life, I am a serious workoholic at times, I love teaching and I laugh, or at least grin ear to ear, at the things the younguns say everyday. This week's favorite quote: "Five year olds don't need to act their age." I was scratching my head at that one but 'J' explained, "My brother got this game for Christmas and I can play it too. Sometimes I win." Do you get it? It didn't take me long at all since I know the competitive nature of 'J' and his brother. The game's box stated "For ages 8+" and 'J' is only 5. Wednesday brought another gem. "Mrs. G, did you wear your skipping shoes?" On Wednesdays, after Art I lead my LONG line of kindergarteners along the paths outside our school skipping and playing Follow the Leader (middle aged ladies don't always act their age either). Sometimes I forget to wear the right shoes, last Wednesday was one of those days and since the wind was gusting up to 45 mph I was just as happy to forgo a 'skip'. If the week had stopped at Wednesday, the adjective 'sublime' might have fit. But then then my little guy with Sensory Integration Dysfunction came unglued from the first minute upon entering the classroom door and turned my teaching upside down, as well as his chair, and he totally destroyed everything he could on his desk.




Why? what starts it? I have no clear idea. It can be as simple as I asked him to sit down (YES, just to SIT) or to get a piece of paper and he didn't want to, or he gets frustrated with himself and flings his pencil, crumples his work, lays down and kicks the desk or overturns a chair. Before you get the wrong idea; he has a very sweet, loving side too and I think there is a smart boy inside of all this confusion. Sometimes he seems defiant or manipulative and it quickly escalates to beyond his control. I am lucky to have a supportive principal and special ed. teacher and his mother is openly communicates with us. Also, his problems were well documented in his preschool years. I feel sad for this little boy, he has so much anger and aggression and he is only five! I have never had anything quite like this in my 25+years of teaching. Now I am off to reading about FBA and FBPs, for that will be our next step. Wish us luck and more than a few prayers!

What are the chances...

that we would be both starting and ending our Holiday Break with snow days. This is what our backyard looks like right now:


It is a wet and heavy snow. The DH and I took a short walk and then I hastily make this Snow Gal:



I say hastily because it was turning to rain as I slipped the mittens onto her stick hands. As I sit here keyboarding I can hear the plink, plink, plink of rain. Good thing my book bag is packed and the parent letter is written (I even posted it in a page on my 'other blog'.)

Teresa's Trees

For some time now I have wanted to inventory the trees in our yard. So here goes! Those with an asterisk were here since we moved in which was 1989.

FRONT YARD:

2 Pacific Fire (Acer Circinatum)
1 Cornus Venus (Kousa x Nuttalli x Kousa)
1 Vine Maple (Acer circinatum)
1 Cedrus deodara*
1 Japanese Maple*

More shrub-like:
1 Pheasant Berry Himalayan Honeysuckle
(Leycesteria formosa)'Golden Lanterns'
1 American Cranberry (Viburnum Trilobum)
1 Black Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra)

BACK YARD

1 Blue Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens 'Aptos Blue')
1 Golden Cedar (Thuja occidentalis “Fastigiata”) I have this as a container tree.
1 Stellar Pink Dogwood (Cornus 'Rutgan' STELLAR PINK)
1 Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
1 Eucalyptus: Unknown variety, published at a farmers' market on Vashon Island in about 2002.
1 Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
1 Asian Pear with grafts of 3 types of pears
1 Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora 'Tempelhof')
1 Apple tree * (This is most likely the oldest tree in the yard as the area was many small orchards before the suburbs began in the 1950s.)
1 Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum’Sango Kaku’)
1 Autumn Moon Maple (Acer Shirasawnum) bought in 2003 from Heronswood Nursery
1 Japanese Cherry (Prunus Serrulata Shogetsu) bought in 2004 from Swanson's Nursery
1 Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
7 Native Cherry Trees*, each with multiple trunks on our west fence line
Hazel Nut* intertwines in one Cherry tree, has multiple trunks and is quite shrubby but tall and makes a great middle canopy for my shade garden.
2 Variegated dogwoods, also shrubby but tall (12-15 ft.) and fast growing.
1 Cornus Satomi, a short beauty with pink blooms in late spring in the understory of my woodland garden.
1 Midwinter Fire Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) This one wants to be a shrub but I am doing my darnedest to make it behave like a tree; it is about 8 feet tall. I bought it from a Northwest Perennial Association sale in about 1998.
1 California Palm* this is a 'sucker' off the original one which we cut down YEARS ago. I know this is not the right name of this tree. It has a thorny trunk and soft wood. It looks nothing like a palm to me but an elderly neighbor who has since deceased told me that is what the original house owners called this tree.
2 Sumac* Just about every other yard has sumac in our neighborhood. Ours are about 18 feet tall and they are 'suckers' from the original trees. In fact this is a sumac which we moved from the southeast corner of our fence to the berm in the middle of the back yard.
2 Draecena arborea ; Those 12 foot, palm like trees in the pots flanking our stairs to the backyard started out as little accents in pots along with geraniums and lobelia. What a surprise! Everyone refers to them as 'palms' but they aren't.

O.K. This is a start to the inventory. All the trees are listed. Next I would like to put approximate years I purchased them and in summer I would like to photograph each of them and put it into an album or slide show. I don't think I need to buy any more trees.

Lastly I want to say a big YAHOO to blue skies and sunshine. I have been feeling very vitamin D deprived! It was cold out, but at least for today the gray skies were gone.

2008 Everyday Heroes

Two of my favorite people in the whole world: my dad and mom, have been chosen as Everyday Heroes for 2008 by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, in the families and individuals category. In the photo, my parents are in an aisle of the St. Vincent De Paul Store. Dad is the volunteer president for the Green Bay Council of the Society St.Vincent De Paul. Mom volunteers in the store once a week. But wait that is not all they do; read my sister Lisa's letter of recommendation which she sent in to the GB Press Gazette:

Nominee: Our parents, Vincent and Virginia Rae Nicklas are everyday heroes.
Nominator: Lisa Rupiper, one of the Nicklas' five children.

Our dad, Vince, is the volunteer president for the St. Vincent De Paul Society.

He is always available to help the many people in need.

Over the past several years he has gone on house calls helping families, opened a new St. Vincent De Paul Christmas Store, worked in his church in many areas including the food pantry, distributing communion at the nursing homes among many other things. Just this year he accepted the position of volunteer president for St. Vincent De Paul, which also includes helping run the House of Hope.

This year he has had many health problems including cancer and kidney failure. He goes to dialysis three times a week and still makes time to commit to others in need. We believe that by helping others he is able to feel good and have such a positive outlook on life.

Our mom, Rae, also volunteers at St. Vincent De Paul and at Unity Hospice. She helps at the St. Vincent De Paul stores and at Unity she does some helping in the office and also sits with patients that need a companion. Another area she volunteers in is Meals on Wheels, she helps deliver meals to people in need. Over the years she also has volunteered at their church, distributing communion, teaching CCD, helping clean and much more. She also rings bells for Salvation Army.

While doing all of this she has been there for our dad to help him through his difficult times with his health.

Our parents have always volunteered ever since we can remember. What a super example they have shared with our families and everyone in the community.

Of all the 'Best Of...' lists that are in the news as we close out 2008, this one from Green Bay touches my heart and rings most true for me and my family. Mom and Dad, you deserve it!

Happy New Year!

Tonight I tried another new recipe: Risotto. I have read descriptions and seen photos of this creamy Italian rice dish and I was intrigued. So tonight, with help from directions on the box of rice from Trader Joe's I simmered and stirred, adding the hot stock a cup at a time and whisked in the cream and grated Parmesan at the very end. It was rich and creamy and well worth the 25 minutes of non-stop stirring.



It is not that photogenic of a dish but don't let looks deceive you. It is a comfort food that is perfect for winter. The shrimp skewers were incredibly easy; cleaning them before skewering is the only unpleasant part. I went the easy route and marintaed them in Tuscan Basil Salad dressing from Safeway for about half an hour before grilling. I made melted garlic butter and lemon dipping sauce. The wine was Honey Moon, a Viogner, also from Trader Joe's.