Well!

Off to Mickey Lawler's class this weekend.  Learning about paint - not dye.  Learning brushes.  Learning sky, water and landscapes.  Hope she teaches perspective then I can finish my cowboy quilt.  Getting the supplies ready tonite so I can beat the austin , waco, dallas traffic.  Rush hour through 3 major cities.  Oh!  Joy!   When I get back only 6 calendar days left. 

alarm clocks

Do they still call those things that wake you in the morning an alarm clock?  Is a clock radio an alarm clock?  Are the chimes on your phone an alarm clock?   Can the timer on the microwave be an alarm clock?  I have to read the directions for the tv to turn its self on again. Is George an alarm clock when he wakes me every morning and tells me to get out of bed?  Is a coffee pot an alarm clock?  Is a school bus leaving the bus barn the ultimate alarm of disappointment.   Hmmm?  Maybe I should post photos of everything in a house that has the potential to let you know it's time:  time for?????????????  My Abby was my most favorite alarm clock.  She would sit on my pillow and stare at me every sunrise.  If I didn't wake she would put her wet nose on my eyelids.  If I pretended I was asleep:  she would put her cold wet nose in my ear.   In 10 calendar days I am going to burn every alarm clock in the Miller Household.  Look out George!  Lizzie!  George Jr.  Maggie,  Smokey, Packer, Cali.  Sleeping in is upon me.

Joy!

11 days to go and I start another adventure.  Taking fabric painting class.  Check out gallery of Mickey Lawler:  taking both sky/water and landscape workshop

I swear 8 pets just ain't enough!!!

In the county of Wichita I am known as an animal hoarder.  Well we had another black and white stripped kitty visit us again.  George thinks 2.  One sprayed under our bedroom window (I went to sleep on couch - George said "we'll take care of it in the morning").  I thought the dogs had been hit.  My eyes burned.  Couldn't get away from the smell.  All over me and it lingered all day.   The other spot was under my car and my sewing studio door again.  Poor Lyle.  Her entire igloo smelled skunk.  A smell you will never forget.  I am so afraid of rabies.  Smokey and Maggie cornered a striped kitty under the shed for 2 days.  The little bugger dug out the back and escaped while the 2 "watchers"  must have fallen asleep.  Yup!  Union employees caught slackin' again.  Lizzie picked-up the odor from me.  At the dog show we heard about "odor mute".  An organic powder to be used on walls and pets when mixed w/ water.   George scrubbed and scrubbed all day.  He took care of it.  All pet odor gone.  MY skunk odor gone.  My sewing room smells fresh and Lyle has clean blankies and an igloo.  You figure the Watchers would keep the skunks away.! 

One mistake. 2 mistakes: don't make a dollar

 Trying to finish my puppy quilt for dog show this weekend.  Measure once.  Screw-up.  Measure 3x:  cut once.  My back was short.  So I pieced a bottom.  Quilted and ironed.  Darn Piece was the wrong frickin'  shade.    So, I took another piece.  right color and hot glued it on.  Looks better.  Oh my.  Off to a retirement party.  Well the back just looks patched and pieced like an old pair of jeans.  Next time I will measure 3x.  Hate deadlines.  Wait 15 calendar days and no deadlines.    Photos to follow next week.  If I remember to post:  Here is the post for today.

a moment of doubt

Have almost 200 books under lock and key.  Have a high theft problem.  All there this year.  It's  a special locked closet for the readers.  Yup.  I let the kids have my keys at any time.  What were the powers thinking?  Classrooms w/out walls?  Libraries w/out walls?  Idiots.  Did I say idiot.  Yup.  I'm allowed now:  but its a beautiful facility.  After inventory I was reorganizing the books.  These authors are writing series books.  Series is real popular w kids right now.  Darn it!!!!  Some of these series have 30 books.  What parent or public school librarian has that kind of money???????  End the damn things.  Took me 7 years but all my series are intact and complete.  As I was organizing  I had this moment of realizing how much pleasure these books have brought to my students.  How much pleasure they have given me.  I thank my lucky stars that Americans have time and money to read for pleasure.  And, that is what we do.  So, sad for those who can't read.  So, I had doubt about retiring.  Wanting more and more of this pleasure and lo and behold:  I laughed and said no way.  Pleasure at home from now on.  18 days and I can read adult books for pleasure.

the threshold of old age

Made it through my first week of being salt-free.  I have crossed the threshold of old age.  I feel so much better.  Off the salt.  Soon off the preservatives.  It just ain't sodium.  I watched on netflix:  killer at large:  why obesity is america's greatest threat.   It's been in my cue for almost a year.  I recommend it to every one.  I do not want to support the food industry anymore.  Did you know a kid's meal deal is the correct portion for an adult.  My life is truly over:  I took 15 tsp. of sugar and  measured it into a baggie.  Yup.  that's how much is in a 16 oz cherry coke.  That's 30 tsp in a big gulp.  Poor me.  I don't smoke ,  I don't drink,  I don't pick on people, etc.  but I love coke.  No more -  before I cross the threshold on that too.  I would have killed for a coke today.  2 more Mondays and 3 more weds.  And, I'm done

clean eating.

Got my portions under control but just ate a pound of watermelon.  Gonna be up all night but at lease it's salt free.  My ticket will cost $250.  Once in the computer it doesn't go away.  But, I believe in grovelling.  I will have 6 months to pay it off.  Thank goodness.  That's like giving up a burger and fries each month.   Oh!  I'd rather put it in savings but me and George are going to kick the burger habit.   The rash struggled  to come back today.  But I was really under control this week.  But girls nite out ended up at Olive Garden.  Yup!  that's off my list now for a while.  It just sucks getting old.  Question:  Why can't I retire when I'm young and can enjoy it?  My skin is itching like crazy.  Making these dog beds (cute, cute!)  photos later and using a type of foam matt.  My skin doesn't like.  When it's gone going back to 2 layers of batting for them darn dogs.  Gotta scrub, scrub , scrub w/ benadryl.

old but feeling younger by the moment.

 George & I went to retirement breakfast.  Good food.  Roomful of happy teachers.  Got a gold and silver watch.  Came home w/ flowers.  My boss said great things about me and the cats.  Down to 4 cats but feed 7.  i worry when they don't come home.  My boss went to T.S. Elliot.  He wrote the short poetry book that became a Broadway play:  Cats.   He added this quote in my honor:

I am so proud to have spent 33 years as public school teacher in the United States of America.

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

And in 11 days from next Friday I will explore my creativity in fiber

aging oldens

My body has crossed the threshold of abuse.  Kidneys can't get rid of the overload of salt.  What are cankles???  Yappers my first attack.  Thank goodness I only have 18 school days left or I wouldn't be able to walk.  Came home and cooked dinner.  It sucks.  No left overs.  But I figured it out.  Make 2 meals so:  now I have dinner tomorrow when I come home.  That melon and mint and steak was out of this world.  I can't wait to have it again.  Did you know you have to read the frickin' labels on fresh chicken now.  They get processed soaked in salt.  Who would have known.

getting old is a lot of fun :it feels like a lobster waiting for dinner.

The human body is an amazing organism.  It has taken 60 years and pounds of broccoli and red cabbage to get here.  Part 2.  Who would'a'thought I would be looking at salt free recipes.  I have a choice give up my sodas or go salt free.  No choice.  Coke wins.  Give up the way I have been living these past 11 years or plan on blowing retirement.  No choice.  Back to healthy living.  My life sucks.  Teaching is so stressful.  It is a pot ready to boil over.  I now know how lobsters feel when thrown into a pot of boiling water.  Tomorrow:  steak and melon.  Yippee. w/ a touch of mint.  No salt.  More to follow about the body shift.

good things about being olde:

Good things about be old is you get to retire and spend the money from the ponzi scheme you have been paying into for 30 years:  Good things ______???  Life sucks and you learn to deal with it has to do with being old.  But being old you learn you get hammered in 3's.  Part 1:  Got a $200 ticket for turning left out of my school parking lot.  And, in front of a cop.  No left turn before 3:30.  I never get out before 3:30/  My $200 ticket was at 3:21.  To grovel w a judge to make payments is at 9:30.  So, I have to take a 1/2 day off from school.  Pay an additional $25 for privilege of making payments.  If use debit card an additional $25 and..........driving school is $167.  ummmmm.  Stay tuned for part 2.  Waiting to be hammered w/ 3.

I'm so happy

I'm so happy I have a calm and simple life.  Pay my bills.  Have goals.  Make Plans.  I hate chaos.
Working on doggie beds. 
Figured out the cutest crate covers.  5 weeks 1 day.  Can't wait.

just plain tired.

  so much to do.  so much to do.  Most our kids have shut down from school work.  Not me.  I reamed them yesterday.  "When we started this class you were happy to have completed 10 problems.  Now look at you 21 problems in 30 min.  Well!  I'm so proud of you and next year you will be going to school w/ 3 other middle schools.  (schools merging).  Remember how much you suffered?  Now you can keep up w/ your teacher. I want a big thank you from you before May 31.  The kids at other middle schools are working & I'm not going to let you get 20 days behind.  I expect you to work until the last day of school.  That means a complete lesson no less.  5 lessons a week.  Period."   All but my 2 hard-core completed their lessons.  Baby quilts a success.  Had my aides cleaning and cleaning.  I want my replacement to think I actually worked.  so much to do.  I just can't drag that leg back in from the door.  I got one leg out the door now.  5 weeks left

just a very old woman

kids are so funny when they ask me why I'm leaving school:  I say I'm a very old women.  My boys were asking me how much money I need to live on after I retire.  Are you planning on having electricity and water?  taking girls out?  eating?  what about a car?  there eyes popped out of their heads:  I get paid that much to stay home.  Yappers!!!  What a ponzi scheme and I wouldn''t trade it for anything.  I remember being the young one and watching how the elders tried to retire and couldn't.  Now w/out ducks in a row:  they retire and return to subbing.  Me:  I only need to sub 3 days to pay for that sewing machine? ummmmm  do I really need that sewing machine?

                                                       had a little visitor a few weeks back

                                                         just a little cottontail

                                                     I finally got my ears

                                                                      baby quilts done

                                                                          puppies everywhere

                                                         predator scared the visitor through the fence

monkey off my back.

  2 darling baby quilts done.  Actually my design.  Puppies everywhere.  Only the top done on the baby kitty quilt.  She will have to wait.  Got 2 t-shirts today w/ Re-tired on the back.  Cat is out of bag.  They announced the new librarian going to my school.  Kids have been asking all day about me.  Guess everyone will know now.  Finished 2 more bags.  Each one is getting better and better.  Can't wait to see if they sell at the dog show coming up.  Need to make kennel covers and more beds.  Summer beds.  I remember a few Christmas breaks ago:  with my - kid after school quilt class.  Never made a bag.  Never put in a lining.  Never made a pocket and had no idea how to make a bag.  Spent the entire vacation :  making bag after bag after bag :  so I could teach the kids.  Now I can even attach hardware and add a zipper.  29 calendar days and I can make uncountable bags.  Photos tomorrow.

kindness

Girls nite out last nite.  Steak and a movie.  That new one w/ Cameron Diaz.   Really is a chick flick and funny.  Those girls need to gain weight.  I have some to give them.  Kindness.  I guess does not come naturally.  Sad to say it has to be taught.  Couple of fights again.  I will never understand how the kids get so jazzed up to see another child hurt.  We had one yesterday.  He lost a tooth and bled all over. Today I got to watch these stupid kids pretend they were bullies.  School is a symptom of our culture and these kids are not respectful, or kind.  These innocent kids who think they are playing just stupid tricks are going to get hurt by these kids who know no kindness.  It saddens me to say I am leaving public education just in time.  I fear for these young teachers who have to deal w/ these monsters who know nothing about kindness..  30 calendar days and I am free.