98.6 is Too Hot For Me

It may be normal body temperature but for air temperature, 98.6 is too hot for me. This is day two of 90+ weather in Seattle. It is challenging to be productive in weather like this. I did manage to rinse and freeze the last of the 29 pounds of berries that Chris and I picked on Thursday.

It was foggy on Thursday when we left for berry picking in North Bend. Note the nifty new signs that display the rate of speed in each lane. Not exactly correct though. We were going 15 in a lane that said 40.



New highway signs weren't the only signs of progress. McDonald's is now sorting it's garbage along with the rest of Seattle.



It was sunny and very busy with plenty of pickers. Mt Si was lovely as always. The berries were big and plentiful. It was easy work made twice as easy by having Chris along.




A perfect berry piking day always ends with lunch or at least ice cream from Scott's Dairy Freeze. Their blackberry shakes are my favorite!







Today it was beginning to smell like the inside of a pie when you walked into the kitchen. Speaking of pies, I did refrigerate enough berries and crush enough graham crackers, to put together a pie later tonight when hopefully, the kitchen cools down a bit. I washed a load of sheets and have them hanging on the lines under the deck. I am sure they are bone dry but it is just scorching out there so I will stay here in the cool retreat of the basement. It is cool and it is clean. I have vacuumed and washed the floors and scrubbed away every spider and web from the corners. This is no small feat in late summer when spiders and webs abound. I have no trouble believing that spiders make new webs daily. It is my mission to keep them outside where I consider them my garden friends instead of foes. The frenzy of cleaning is in preparation for a visit from a childhood friend Jeanne, and her husband Dan. It is good to get major cleaning out of the way before school starts and my life as a teacher eats away at most of my time. I am also finishing up the last of my pleasure reading (The Street by Ann Perry) for the summer, and overlapping with some professional reading (Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov.

Time to refill my tea glass and I think I'll get my book...guess which one!

A Taste of Summer

Now I can say I have had, at the least, a taste of summer. I escaped Seattle's cool gray weather and visited friends and relatives in Wisconsin. In addition to warmer weather I had more than my share of decadent food. Perch WITH BONES if you please, and a slice of onion on rye bread from Maricques. (Read the review. It describes the fried perch experience perfectly.)



And an award winning breakfast of cherry stuffed French Toast at the White Gull Inn in Door County.




Sweet Corn that was tender and so tasty with a slathering of real butter. This corn is at Green Bay's Broadway Farmer's Market, held every Wednesday in summer. It is probably delicious but my mom is insistent that we get our corn from the stand at Sunny Hill which is within 5 miles of home. You can't get much fresher than that.



Sharing a meal, reuniting with cousins; lovely ladies one and all.



More food around campfires up north with relatives:





And picnics at the beach between rounds of swimming and tubing:



Dinner at Legends Brew Pub with my childhood friend, Sue. It had been SO long; more years than I can recall since we last had time to sit at a table share food and talk, talk, talk!



Of course I had to stop at Renards to buy cheese.



And now, you guessed it, this post has left me hungry. I think I will go upstairs and eat just a few of those cheese curds.

More Proof...

...that SEX sells. I titled this photo 'Flowers Are Sexy' on my Flickr account and it got 15 views, which is a lot for me, in less than a day! It is a huge pumpkin blossom. Did you know that the blossoms on the long stems are male and the ones on short stems are female? This is the best site ever for information on growing pumpkins!

The Livin' Is Easy

It was a perfect day for dog walking and friends talking, and that is what I did. Emik, my friend Beth's husky, sure liked his shower and he was very popular with the kids on the beach.

July 23rd 2010, Alki

July 23rd 2010, Alki
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Now THIS is the summer weather we have all been waiting for! Yesterday was a perfect day for a walk along Alki and today looks to be a carbon copy. But it will be a whole lot more crowded as it is a Saturday and the Art Walk is happening.

Hydrangeas Are Blooming

I know I take the same garden pictures every year and sometimes I think I should leave well enough alone and be happy with my pictures of last year's flowers. But the hydrangeas with their huge floppy heads that look like they should be on some 1950's Easter bonnet, just beg to be photoed. They are the perfect shade garden flower. They look cool, mature, and dignified; unlike the big blooms of spring, the rhododendrons, those rowdy show offs of vibrant color in April and May.


This climbing hydrangea smells wonderful when warmed by a bit of afternoon sun.



The Lady in Red has long red stems that flop to the ground in a tangle with the weight of its blooms. She is under the apple tree and this is really quite a sorry bed. I must rethink that area and get the 'lady' some more suitable companion plants.




Lime foliage always shows off blues and purples to perfection.

A Tidy Shed

Every summer 'Clean out the shed' is on my list of chores. This time I think it took 2 years before I tackled it. The day started out gray and cold. The sun did not appear till about 2:00. That was a relief. Cleaning the shed is like working in an attic; no fun on a hot day. So now you see the plastic pots are stacked and stored;

Implements are hung, sort of by highest or similar use.


And best of all, a shelf and the potting table are free of clutter. The shelf and table will hold plants that need to wintered over and seedlings that need an inside start in early spring. At least that is my plan.


I should have taken a 'before' photo. It was a mess! The other half that houses the mower, the the blower, the power saw and wheel barrow...that is Chris' responsibility. It's time to put my feet up!

The Elusive Summer

It is here one day and gone the next. Summer is not taking hold here like it usually does. None of those days on end of blue skies and 72 degree weather. I walked to the end of Seola beach Drive to see the fireworks on the 4th wearing my garden boots and a raincoat that fell to my knees AND I had a sweatshirt on underneath the raincoat. Then we had three days of glorious hot, HOT weather with windows open, shades down, and fans whirring: Anna Rae even decided it was easier to sleep in the basement one night, rather than toss and turn in her breeze less bedroom. Then back to clouds a drizzle or two in the morning and today it is noon and "Tadah!" the sun is out, so off we go, on a hike to Rattlesnake Ridge.

It was an easy hike and as always, well populated with people of every age and fitness level; from a baby in a front pack that looked to be no more than a month old, to aging men puffing along, their beer bellies shiny with sweat. At the ridge there were about 15 to 20 people. I always try not to watch the people. I get all nervous when I see someone getting close to the edge. Last year someone DID fall to their death from the ledgee (fortunately I was not there to see it). The hikers I was most impressed with were two little boys no more than 3 years old. Their parents were not carrying them and there they were; about a quarter mile left to get to the top. They were not moving fast but they did not seem daunted. Once we returned to the bottom of the trail Anna Rae took a swim. It was too cold for me!

Day 178

June 22nd marked the last day of the 2009-10 school year. Considering that the chemistry of personalities and learning abilities in this class made for a year of sturm und drang for me it was an easy ending. On Wednesday I dusted cabinets, put away books, took down posters, rolled the document camera into storage and cleared my desktop of every checklist, teacher's manual, pencil, eraser, coffee cup, band aid and love note (and the not so nice note in which boy A threatens to beat up boy B at recess). I think back on this year and shed no tears although I will be happy to greet more than one of them in the fall with a great big hug as they travel on to their first grade classroom. In many an end of year letter to the kindergarten families I say that I learn right alongside my students. I am sure I learned more about teaching 'special children' in this past year than in all my 26 previous years combined. When we looked at data at the end of the year, both kindergartens came out as "well above average" for the growth index of our classes. This means that while not every child has a high RIT score (Far from it!), as a class they showed huge gains over their fall scores on MAP.I also remember the unhappy first day of school for one little boy; he would not accept a sticker from me for some work he had done. He yelled "I don't want this sticker! I don't belong in this school! I belong in a jail school!" He then stomped over to the coat hooks, grabbed his coat and I had to get the principal because I thought he was going to bolt. How different he was on the last the day of school when he stood as close as he could to me asking, "Can I be here?" The rest of the class was seated on the carpet, festival style (which means wherever they wanted). Yes, he still has anxiety, and stands, wiggles and jiggles, more than he sits, but he loves school and he has not spoken disparagingly of himself in months. That is worth more than any data can tell me. The first grade teachers can thank their lucky stars because we split up the characters that were like oil and water with one another. Also, one autistic child has moved out of the district and another who should be tested because he certainly is 'on the spectrum' will be transferring to another school. I know I will be hearing from THEIR teachers! I told the Special Ed. teacher that if it were not for the fact that she, along with Instructional Assistants and my team teaching partner, had also witnessed and worked with the challenges of my 09-'10 class, I might think it was all a bad dream.

The Graduate

The graduate is our one and only, my 'Honey Girl'. We are so excited to be joining her on the Main Quadrangles of the University of Chicago as she graduates with a bachelor's degree in International Studies on June 12th. It seems like only yesterday that she was sitting on her daddy's lap listening to him read One Fish, Two Fish.



Or in pigtails and a plaid jumper, all ready for her first day of kindergarten:



You ask, "After she graduates what will she do?" And I answer with a sparkle of pride and a shudder of trepidation; "She's off to Bangkok to teach English to preschoolers at an elite school." I need to believe she will be safe. My husband reassures me, she reassures me, the school director reassures her and in turn, me. I remind myself that at 22 she IS an adult. I think back to my own graduation from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and I reminisce. Leo Buscalgia spoke. Now how many of you can remember who spoke at YOUR college graduation? I was enthralled, empowered, emboldened.
In short; there were stars in my eyes and the love of my life was at my side (although I wasn't certain of that fact then). So, this quote from Buscalgia seems fitting for Anna Rae as she holds her diploma in one hand and her passport in the other:
“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” Leo Buscalgia


It was a wonderful graduation ceremony in spite of the rain and we were happy to be joined by so many relatives in Chicago. I think that our girl felt honored and I know here dad and I enjoyed our time in Chicago. Probably the most memorable moment was our 'small world experience': We had taken the el into Chicago and we were walking across one of the several magnificent bridges crossing the Chicago River, on our way to the Hotel River North. Anna Rae had told us she would be on a boat tour when we arrived but that she would meet us at our hotel afterwards. So at the midspan of the bridge we stop and look down. Chris says, "I wonder what boat she is on." Jokingly I say, "She is on that one," and I point to a tour boat that is just beginning to motor under the bridge. "No, she is on that one." says Chris and he points to a second tour boat coming from the opposite direction. There is a split second pause and he says, "No REALLY, there she is, I see her!" and we yell her name and wave frantically. She looks up and we all laugh and smile as she and the other 50 or so people wave at us! That was the beginning to a wonderful week in Chicago.



In addition to the graduation we saw the ticker tape parade for the Blackhawks who had won the World Cup. I had a spot in a slice of shade against the side of Macys. I was grateful for the cool cement wall at my back because it was a hot and humid 90 degrees and there were thousands of happy people for as far as I could see. On another day we rode the clean and comfortable Metra to the Chicago Botanic Gardens which were beautiful. It was hard not to take an obscene amount of pictures.



And of course we ate lots of great food in Chicago. Anna Rae's celebratory dinner was at Fiddlehead Cafe on the North end and the food was delicious and the company of family and friends made it perfect. We also ate yummy tortas for lunch at XOCO, one of Rick Bayless' restaurants which was very close to our hotel. Just walking around Chicago on a sunny summer day was a treat because at the time, Seattle's weather was so cold and crappy. The graduation and time in Chicago was really a boost that got me through the last 5 days of teaching (although it was not easy to go back to the classroom for those 5 days!).

A Cool, Wet May

We are having a cool, wet May. My tomato plants are just sitting still, waiting for some sunny days. I have two potted pepper plants that I still won't leave out at night for fear they will drop their blooms and not produce any fruit. Lettuce and spinach are growing at a furious rate. My potato plants are poking out of the ground. The sunflowers are doing ok and today I started beans around poles in various locations of the back yard. In spite, or maybe because of this cool weather, everything that IS blooming seems extra vibrant. I'm thinking mainly of the rhodedendrons, and the dogwoods. The foxgloves have never been taller or more loaded with their trumpet shaped blooms. I can't figure it out...the snails and slugs seem to be leaving my lettuce alone, but maybe I am speaking too soon. I spend hours on weekends pulling weeds and planting; great green therapy for all the stress that has come my way in the classroom this year.
Only 26 teaching days left and boy am I ever ready!

My New 'Baby'

This is the info that I found on the internet for the Japanese hardy orchid I bought on Saturday. I sure hope they are right and it is easy to grow. At $18. it was a splurge for me!

Calanthe sieboldii Calanthe sieboldii: Japanese name is KI-EBINE (= yellow EBINE) and it is the second most common species after Calanthe discolor in Japan. Blooming season is May-June and it has yellow flowers. The height is 25-50 cm, bigger than Calanthe discolor. This plant is found under deciduous trees in the Southern part of Japan (mainly in Kyushu and Shikoku). It is less hardy than Calanthe discolor.
Growing Tips: prefer drained soil like a mixture of leaf mold and pumice but you can also grow it in usual soil; loves a sunny place in winter-spring and half-shade place in summer; less hardy than Calanthe discolor; easy to grow.

The Blooms of April

April has been full, blooming full. Spring in Seattle is over the top, crazy with color. Yesterday was windy and as I drove through the Green Lake area, pink petals blew like snow across my windshield and filled the street's gutters. The Arboretum had it's aptly named Florabundance sale and I exercised my restraint than usual. I bought a few coleus, 3 Ilex Crenata (Sky Pencil) which are only 8 inches high right now but someday I hope they make a hedge to shut off the view of the neighbor's waste cans. My big splurge was a Japaneses woodland orchid (yellow). I never thought I would say I am running out of space, but I am, especially sunny space, and that I am reserving for more vegetables this year. So what is in the ground so far? Tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, and sunflowers.

Endings and Beginnings

Never has a March looked so different for us. On March 16th, Chris' dad, Eben Goethe passed away at age 86. Over the last dozen years we had watched as first his athletic passions, and eventually the most ordinary of activities such as getting out of a chair were painful and challenging as he suffered with Inclusion Body Myositus . As is said for so many people: "He is certainly in a better place now." Death is final and grieving is complicated. While we shared memories of Eb's frugal ways and the athletic pursuits of his younger years we also strengthened bonds with Chris' cousins and Aunt Lois. We went on long walks, had many meals together, played games and talked for hours. I returned to GB ten days later to spend Spring break in Green Bay and I helped my mother in law clean closets and tried my best, but with very little luck, to introduce her to the internet and the joys of email. June and Eb had been married 63 years. As we cleaned Eb's office I lifted a box of old photos from the top shelf in a closet. I saw pictures of their first house where June's mother in law had demanded that June get a cow to keep in the back yard (which at the time was more pasture than yard). The mother in law seemed to have the idea that a bucolic lifestyle with fresh milk on the table would be good for her daughter in law. June said that she let her MIL know, in very straight forward terms, that she was NOT going to be raising a cow and did her MIL know how cows were induced to make milk? June is petite, but she is good with words and I can just imagine her holding her own against a bossy mother in law. I wonder what Eben thought of that. I'll bet he laughed. I'll bet it was her quick wit as well as her shapely legs that drew him to June.

	Eben F. Goethe, 86, Green Bay, died Tuesday morning, March 16, 2010. He was born on March 4, 1924 in Brown County to the late Leonard and Pearl (Armstrong) Goethe. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1943 to 1945, during World War II and attended UW-Madison and St. Louis University. On Feb. 6, 1947, he married the former Margery “June” Young in St. Louis, MO. Prior to retirement, Eben was employed by Fort Howard Paper for 38 years and was a commercial real estate broker and land developer. He was an active member of Pilgrim Congregational Church and a member of Washington Lodge #21, Free & Accepted Masons. Even at a young age, Eben was an active person, having been awarded the Order of the Arrow by the Boy Scouts and later becoming a Sea Scout. He enjoyed duck hunting, skeet and trap shooting, golf and was particularly enthusiastic about skiing. He had many dear friends over the years and will be greatly missed.

Hope Springs Resort

At only 10 units it is a small resort and it was absolutely perfect for me. The old sign is there to keep the Mid Century ambiance but this really is Hope Springs. No kids, no dogs, no TV, plenty of time to read my books, lounge poolside or dip into the 3 mineral pools ranging from bathwater temp to a HOT 110. The breakfasts were SO delicious; fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs, good cheeses, bread, fresh tomatoes!, yogurt, granola, good breads and a few pastries. I was first up each morning (yes, I relaxed but I just could NOT sleep past 6:00) and got my pick of the New York Times, LA Times or the Desert Reporter to read. They have spa services; massages (other guests just raved about their massages), wraps, and the like but I didn't indulge in those. Maybe next time... Every good vacation should end with a little bit of longing.

Joshua Tree National Park

weedyone


These pictures are not in the order I wanted but it will have to do. One of the highlights of my escape to the desert was the day I spent in Joshua Tree National Park. I took two hikes; one to the Arch(.5) and another to 49 Palms Oasis (3.miles). The weather was fabulous at only about 78 degrees and just about no wind. I did make a few comments on the pictures if you want to read them just click on the Webshots Logo and it should take you directly to my photo album. This was Ash Wednesday. How appropriate is that; spending the first day of lent in a desert!

Every Adventure...

...begins with those first steps, the purchase of a ticket, hotel reservations, arranging the car rental, and reading the travel books. Then for me begins the worry; will the weather cooperate, should I go on guided tour or self guided, how much extra car insurance should I get, should I hike alone and run alone (both of which I love, but go against conventional wisdom). The longer between planning and traveling and the longer my list grows. But now I am here, in Desert Hot Springs, and all has gone better than I could have expected. The first night at pool side when talking with other people I mentioned it was my first time to the Palm Springs area and one woman's eyes got big and she said, "You are experiencing desert weather at it's most sublime!" At 78 degrees and only a whisper of a wind, I couldn't agree with her more. I rented a car, bought the self guided map of Mid-Century architecture and saw about a dozen places that satisfied my thirst for all things googie. The next day I went to Joshua Tree National Monument and saw amazing rocks in amazing hues of red and brown against brilliant blue skies. The 49Palms Oasis hike was probably the highlight for me. I hiked all three miles and saw nary a snake only a few lizards and Gambel's quails that startled me as much as I did them. How do those birds stay so clean and tidy looking in all that sand? They are quite pretty. This morning I awoke to the sounds of doves and a magpie instead of crows and robins. Magpies are loud! The platters of fresh fruit, cheeses, breads and hard boiled eggs drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice and parsley were the perfect start to another perfect day. It will be a poolside day, a book reading day, a slather on sunscreen and soak up the sun kind of day.

Pictures, plenty of pictures, to be coming!

What a Sweetheart!

Last summer I bought this framed piece of filigreed ironwork at a garage sale for $1.00 and put it in the shed with the intention of refinishing the frame which was ugly. I thought I would strip the ugly paint and then leave the frame looking distressed. My husband disagreed, saying a yellow frame to match the garden shed would be best. Well, I never got around to doing the work and he did, so it is yellow and I like it. I like it a lot. I think its a perfect Valentine's Day surprise!

New Things in the New Year

New recipe for New Year's Eve: I'm a brown rice girl but I followed this recipe down to the white rice and mmmm... Rachel Ray pegged it right on this Jambalaya recipe.

A new washer. Super capacity, front loading, energy saving, a Frigidaire. The only thing not to like about it is the fact that it can't be stacked with our older dryer. Fortunately we have the space. The capacity is awesome; with just 2 of us here, we only need to do two loads a week.

New insurance and new Dr.: I'm not so sure about my return to Group Health but I do like the online ability to look at test results to communicate with my Dr. As for my first appointment with Dr. Wood... She spent an hour with me and this was a routine, good health check up! Thumbs up for good listening and making that all important 'personal connection.'

New parish: Our Lady of Guadalupe. Father Jack gives great homilies and the singing is awesome but I do wish the 5:30 Saturday Mass had a choir. I would prefer that they kneel for the consecration; the slight bow from the hips doesn't cut it with me. Have any of you other Roman Catholics noticed the huge differences from church to church in when to kneel or stand in recent years?

New running routine: 4 miles daily Monday-Friday (switched with Spinning on some Tuesdays), 3-7 miles on Saturday, 2 miles on Sunday (This used to be my day of rest.)
And I have new Brooks Trance 9 shoes on order online.

New Widget: See the Flickr photos on the left.

New yoga class; every Sunday (at least through Feb.) at Sound Yoga

New growth in the Seattle plant world: Go here first to see some spectacular photography by another West Seattlite. I lust for a new camera every time I visit David Perry's site.He calls the new growth of our warmer that usual January a 'snack'. I prefer to call it an appetizer because there is so much more to come!

New budget: More $$$ towards that elusive retirement date and less towards tuition. Yippee! In Spring the University of Chicago will be getting less of my money.

New favorite book: Lamb by Christopher Moore Don't bother reading this book if your religious beliefs are easily offended. Some may find it blasphemous but I thought it was hilarious and heartwarming and I find myself thinking about it almost every Sunday. Thank you dear daughter for this wonderful Christmas gift!

New music: OK It's not new to me but I am always updating or adding variety to what I listen to on Pandora. I have my Nino Rota station on in the background right now. More specifically, the Pink Panther played by Henry Mancinni.

A new student. Challenging; speaks very little English but is learning quickly, cute as a button, talkative (Believe it or not THAT is a GOOD thing!), doesn't know a letter from a number, but she's trying and that makes all the difference.

New IEPS for not one, not two, but three of my students. Actually one was done before the new year but his time in the resource room didn't start until Jan. One is autistic.He says "Can I tell you something?" twenty times a day to me and conversation never has a straight line or a clear end. The other is probably autistic too but for now he is being called Developmentally Delayed. He's game to copy almost anything you show him once, but original conversation is nil, nada, nothing. Anything you can teach by rote he gets down pat. When people speak of the 'spectrum' of autism, I really get it. The third student has developmental apraxia of speech. He cannot string three words together even if you are asking him to talk about something that is usually riveting for a kindergarten kid like "What kind of cake will you be having at your birthday party?" But he LOVES math and he can count on, recognizes numbers to 100, does simple addition and subtraction in his head, sorts and patterns (just can't tell me how he sorted or describe his pattern). I'm not supportive of merit pay but I must say that I should be given an 'honorary certificate' in special ed. with all I have done to unravel the needs of special kids in my class this year. Those of you in the know understand how hard it is to get our youngest students to qualify for any extra help. It's a 'feather in my cap' that I would rather not wear. It was a hard first trimester folks but I've got my mojo back. This 'teacher gig' was made for me.

New experience in independence : I have a solo visit to a desert clime planned for February. I always was a tease... visit me in late February.

It is better to give...

than to receive. That is true, but it changes you to be on the receiving end too.
Have you ever received a gift that took your breath away, that made your heart jump, that brought tears to your eyes and a lump to your throat? Well, that happened to each of the teachers at our school this year. John is our 'neighborhood angel'. He is about 80 years old I would guess, gnarled hands, white hair, a tiny bit stooped, never drawing attention to himself, never going further than our front office. He sometimes visits with the principal in the mornings but none of the teachers has had a meaningful conversation with him. The most I ever said was "Good morning, nice to have you visit us." I would see him linger at the gold painted financial contribution box that is locked to the front table and he would appear to be reading all the bulletins on the wall but I had a strong hunch he was putting money into the box every now and then. So the week before the holiday break each classroom teacher received this card (click on the photo to see the words) hand delivered by our principal:



It was made clear that John does not want recognition. There were suggestions that we put together a basket for him or have the children make some card or artwork but we were told "No, he would be uncomfortable." Several of us googled his name and found nothing; not even an address near our school. We all signed a thank you card for him. I hope he knows the impact this had on us. I did my best to' pay it forward', to be more generous in my own seasonal giving. If there was a 'spirit of Christmas' award, John would be my nominee!

Escaping...

back into time is such an appealing thing for so many people. It is easy to romanticize about simpler times that in all reality, I am sure, were NOT so simple. This Holiday Village with a model train running through it, is inside the Seattle Center. We had time to walk around and browse before the start of the Black Nativity performance (which was rousing, colorful, and glorious to hear). When I saw the village I just knew I had to take pictures for my mom. She has a large Dickens' Village she assembles every December and it is enjoyed by all who come to visit.

Yesterday I took the light rail from Tukwilla into downtown. This is not the most efficient way for us to go downtown; it tacks 20 minutes onto the trip because the nearest station is not convenient to our part of town. But since we have this new, much touted rail system, I was intrigued and had to give it a try.



For the people lucky enough to live in the neighborhoods near the stations it is a clean, quiet, and VERY quick way to get downtown. Now that it serves the airport it is also convenient for tourists to get to and from the city's center. For me it was just a novel experience. The views you get are certainly not worth much. The rail runs alongside I5 and through lower income neighborhoods, zipping past small strip malls with signs for cigar shops, teriyaki joints, and nail salons. Once downtown I was overwhelmed by the crowds and the cacophonous mixture of street musicians, a choral group and traffic. All the stores where I shopped had lines at the counters, which is a good economic sign considering the times. There were many more street people with homeless signs and stories of woe written on cardboard and echoed in the creases of grimy clothes and unshaven faces. The Washington Lottery had a mobile unit parked at Westlake Center and they were doing a brisk business. The only place I did not encounter a line was at the Group Health clinic where I got my H1N1 shot and I was glad of that because if I had to wait I might have walked away. The best part of taking public transportation is not having to find and pay for parking. I took the return trip south to the park and ride, picked up my car and met the daughter at Westfield mall. We saw the movie Precious which is NOT a fun uplifting holiday movie. I left the movie marveling at how some people can have so much resilience in the face of such a grim, oppressive, downright evil environment.

Once at home we fixed a yummy and fun dinner of a salad and a Swiss cheese and beer fondue; all ready to heat and serve, thanks to Trader Joes'. We dipped cubes of french bread into the creamy cheese, each of us vying for the last smear of cheese in the pot. Then we watched the last episode of Dexter, Season 1. I love these lazy evenings with the three of us on the couch or crouched on the floor around the crossword puzzle.
Later nights and lounging mornings, what a 'Break' from the teaching routine! But now the sky is light and I had best put on my running shoes so I won't feel so guilty about eating all that cheese, wine, eggnog, and sweet treats!