Charley's birthday

Memorial Day

Last night I watched the National Memorial Day concert on IPTV.  Cried the whole time.  What a wonderful tribute, especially to the returning veterans and their families.  Very moving.  Then, this morning I participated in Oskaloosa's Memorial Day program.  It had to be indoors so I missed the beautiful setting of Forest Cemetery but the ceremony was still very reverent and inspiring.  Plus side - no muddy shoes or folding chairs sinking into the ground!  Or bugs!

Tomorrow I will finish school for the year.  My principal and his family had a baby on Saturday, so I don't know how that will affect check out.  My teaching companion and friend, Kathi, has retired.  Her reception on Friday was tough for me emotionally - I couldn't do a tribute as I should have.  Luckily Kathi understands.  She's the one I spend time with every school morning - we call it having coffee but we rarely actually drink the stuff.  I will sorely miss her and will need to push myself to get out of my room at noon so I don't become isolated.    She can't be at school tomorrow so I will go again on Wednesday to help her move some things. 

I have started my summer plans - babysitting for Charley and Drew once a week or so; visiting Emily, Dallas and Noelle as often as I can; visiting Mom every couple of weeks; city band; sewing; planning menus so Dan doesn't have to cook; learning to machine quilt; reading more; playing in Chelsey's garden if it ever quits raining.  If you have things to add to my list, please let me know!

Spring??

Is it really here?  today I wore my spring jacket out for bus duty for the first time this year.  Of course, I had a fleece under it, but didn't need a hat or hood or umbrella or scarf or mittens. 

Since I posted last, I have mentored a very capable student teacher and now have done a week without her.  I have administered all the Spring tests required by the district (HATE to do these!) and met the student teacher I will have next Spring.  I have also renewed my teaching certificate for the very last time!

My best teaching buddy is retiring in 20 days and I am feeling lost already.  Anyone want to come keep me company every morning at 6:15?

I am looking forward to doing a little gardening at Greg and Chelsey's pretty soon and to seeing my grands a bit more.  We officially finish school May 28 (kids are out before Memorial Day).

Ragbraii is coming to town this summer - excitement is already brewing.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

It's party time here at school, so I have no students.  I thought I'd take just a minute or two to post. 
Random thoughts:  They have approved the school calendar for next year.  Kids start August 20th.  Makes the summer seems short.  No week Spring break next year - two long weekends, instead.  One of them can be taken back for snowdays.  I'll predict next winter will be a hard one.    Retirement sounds so nice, but I can't afford the insurance so have to work until Medicare.  My best friend is retiring, so I won't have anyone to have coffee with and vent every morning at 6:30. 

I've made some of those beautiful ruffly scarves.  If you want one, let me know!

Lesson plans are calling me, so better get dedicated.

Season of Miracles

When's the last time you held a newborn in your arms?  There isn't any doubt the world isn't going to end any time soon.  Today we were entrusted to a very special task - our first time to babysit for Drew!  We went to the hospital to visit Drew and his parents after church.  Poor little Charley has the cough and runny nose that makes it hard to breathe and the wheezes to prove it.  With mom at the hospital, we grandmas and aunties were trying our best to care for him, but his breathing bothered us.  He spent the night at Nana Joann's but was still having trouble today so we all decided Charley needed a trip to the emergency room, just to be sure.  When Joann and Charley arrived, Greg and Chelsey were able to go downstairs to ER to be with him.  We got to stay with Drew.  He had been seen earlier by the Dr to get a special procedure done and didn't want to nurse.  We were able to keep him pretty contented for a while but couldn't provide what he wanted while Chelsey was downstairs.  We consulted with the nurses but didn't want to supplement with formula without Mom and Dad's ok. 
All came out alright - Greg gave a bottle when they came upstairs so Chelsey could shower away any germs and Charley had a nebulizer treatment and a change in meds, so hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow when Drew, Chelsey and Greg can go home.
Even though our plans to celebrate Christmas Saturday morning didn't happen, we did get to see everyone.  It will surely be a Christmas to remember!

Homecoming week

School is moving right along, with parent teacher conferences next week already!  This week was/is Homecoming.  At the elementary school, this means dressing "differently".   Monday was pj day (I am never sure I want kids coming in pj's - do they wash them after sleeping in them, before coming to school?) Tuesday -Sock it to 'em day - so crazy socks.  There are many many varieties of crazy socks!  Wednesday, besides being the day when Iowa walked over the noon hour, was cap/hat day - I guess to cap a victory?  Saw some really cute hats, but most were not conducive to good learning.  One of my students had a moose hat with one antler that kept flopping down, so he had to keep pushing it back, like he had long hair.  Another has a sombrero - it took up enough space for three people.  Plus none of my students could tell me why we were having hat day. My favorite was a Goofy hat, looked just like the Goofy Disney character.   Thursday was camo day (hunting for a victory) so we couldn't do anything because no one could find the kids.  Today was Osky spirit day - as are most Fridays.

The weather cooled off but students/parents haven't got the hang of it yet.  Some students were in winter coats which felt pretty good with the winds we get on our playground while others were still in shots, t shirts and flip flops.  Always makes me wonder if the kids snuck back in and changed after their parents thought they were dressed for school and how many times my own kids did that after I left.

What a nice day!  Cyclones bring home the trophy again and we are babysitting for Charley.  This is always fun!  Tomorrow the choir will sing again and we will help to celebrate Noelle's birthday.

School is in full swing.   I try to arrive by 6:15 each day so my friend Kathi and I can chat a while before beginning work.  Then we buckle down and get a solid hour in before other folks start to arrive.  This year I supervise the bus students' arrival every morning (7:45-815).  There are 22 buses.  Then after school I walk fourth graders to their buses and help supervise them outside (translates to keeping them from running each other down).  This I will do every other week.  I have 14 students in three grades.  This translates to 8 teaching groups each day.  Since I go to school early, I can leave most afternoons by 4:00. 

1967

February 7 Shirlee has first driving lesson
March 7 Shirlee goes to Des Moines for Girl's State basketball tournaments.
April 26 & 27 Dad is insulating the attic (do you remember all the insulation fell out into the basement?
May 8 Sherrie home with swollen glands or beginning mumps
May 11 Sherrie does not have mumps.
May 20 Sherrie had accident with her bike - had to have stitches in chin
May 27 Sherrie had stitches out but had to have it taped because it didn't heal right
June 5 Mom elected president of band boosters
June 23 Left with Youth fellowship for Chicago. While at Chicago we took a boat ride on Lake Michigan, saw State Street, saw Prudential Building, Bensonville Elmhurst Museum and air port
June 25 after a picnic, came home from Chicago.
August 12 Everett Rowald wedding
September 23 Went to Dairy Cattle Congress. Saw Arthur Godfrey show
All during this year the church was working on building a new parsonage. Mom was on committee. On September 28 Dad dug the basement for the new parsonage.
November 16 Mom and Dad at School Board convention again.November 17 after getting home from Des Moines, went to Grandpa and Grandma Horman's 50 th wedding aniversary
Dec 27 Larry has chickenpox

1966

January 23 Were getting low on water - glad to see the wind blowing enough for windmill to work
Feb 19 looked over house in town
March 14 Larry has first day at sitter
MArch 25 sold rest of cows today. Took some things to house in town. Cheryl home on spring break
March 27 Bill to Great Lakes
April 2 Bill and Sharon furniture shopping
April 3 Bill leaves to go back for discharge
April 5 moved stove ,refrigerator washer and dryer. Sharon moved hers in
April 6 officially moved today.
May 19 Went to Sharon's to babysit with Larry. He has mumps on left side
May 25 BAck at SHaron's. Larry has mumps on other side
June 20 2 trains collide 2 crewmen hurt
June 25 Sherrie sick -running temp br/>June 26 Sherrie still sick - took to Dr. Has a virus.
June 27 Sherrie has measles
July 27 Paid for house today
July 31 Framed up for cement for garage
September 10 Dr's Day (honoring Dr. & Mrs. Montz and the dentist (Don't know his name)
September 18 Grandpa and Dad working on garage. Ordered cake for 25th wedding anniversary
Ocotber 15 celebrated 25th wedding anniversary
November 17 went to Des Moines for School Board Association meeting.
December 25 Sherrie got a bike! I got an iron (??) Cheryl got a hair dryer
Dec 26 Linda Charlet's wedding

1965

January 17 Mom made headcheese (Oh, Boy!)
January 23 Ice storm Lost power at 5:15 AM Sherrie, Sharon and Larry at Florene's to stay warm. Power back on 9:45 PM
February 9 School bus broke down here this morning (Do you suppose everyone came in for a while as they waited for another bus?)
February 18 separator blew apart
April 3 Cheryl got small pox vaccination
April 4 Question Sunday for Shirlee for confirmation
April 5 Sharon went to pick up Bill
April 11 "Confirmation day for Shirlee. Dinner spoiled by tornadoes hit at Lester Rowald and Hugo Schroeder"
April 25 Larry is baptised
April 26 Sharon and Bill leaving for California
April 27 Sure is quiet around here without Larry
April 30 Shirlee called home from school with toothache. Took her to dentist filled two teeth
May 2 Shirlee had to go back to dentist - abcess - (on a Sunday !)
May 15 Cheryl in Cedar Falls for pre-entry tests
May 21 graduation reception for Cheryl and Mike at Alice's
May 24 Bear shot at Berry farm today (??)
May 28 Eddie Deerberg killed at Freese corner today
June 15 tok Cheryl to CF
June 28 Took Shirlee to camp at Tama
July 18 Grandpa putting siding on house. Sharon is coming home
August 3 is last entry for this year in this book - don't know if I'll find more?

1964 revisited

Jan. 5 Dad went to Minnesoa Lake, Minnesota to visit a church and hear the pastor.
Jan. 13 got a frost remover to use for grave digging
Jan. 14 John Deere Day in Lowden???
Jaan. 17 Sold Grandpa the ford (would later become my first car)
Feb.8 Sherrie has tonsilitis
Feb. 13 Sherrie went to Dr Wray in Cedar Rapids (specialist?)
Feb 16 Sherrie has sore throat again. Went to see Dr. Montz
March 17 shearing sheep this morning
March 22 Dad flew to Purham Minnesota to hear a preacher
March 25 Jutes Freese came home today after 10 days in hospital
March 27 Dad flew to Marinett Wisconsin (surely this was a small plane? Who flew them?)
April 6 Bill left for Norfolk Virginia
April 12, Pastor Tinge did a sermon and accepted the position. He was the one from Purham Minn.
April 13 Wind storm took down box elder tree by outhouse
April 21 Sherrie breaking out with chicken pox
April 22 Jutes Freese died
April 24 Jutes Freese funeral. Grandpa and Grandma Horman came to stay home wiht Sherrie. Bill called is coming home on 3 day pass
April 30 Sharon starts moving her stuff home
May 2 Bill leaves for California
MAy 12 train derailment just north of farm
May 28 found an old well caved in on the lawn
June 13 went to Aberdeen DS for anniversary of Alice and Ted
June 15 came home from SD. Tree across the lane
June 20 got Cheryl home from Girl's state
October 10 Cheryl had her pre-college physical
October 23 Took Sharon to Hospital this morning. Larry Wm made his appearance at 2:10 pm
October 27 SHaron and Larry hom from hospital (Darlene and Mom has visited them each day in between)
November 7 Cheryl is in Iowa City taking tests (ACT or SAT?)
November 20 Sharon went to Tipton and ran into ditch by Deerberg's. Couldn't see becasue of snow
November 30 Gus Holms died
December 24 Sherrie not feeling well
December 28 Sherrie has measles

they're lost

In case you look, and are confused, I added 2 new entries yesterday, hit some button I shouldn't have and lost my latest 25 entries - I will try to fins them but I don't know...... Darn, some good stuff, too!

I have pictures!

I have been trying to upload some of my pictures of Noelle, but my computer and I have not been agreeing.  Looks like I finally got it right!  I spent Tuesday through Thursday this week in Ames, and Thursday through Saturday last week there.  School went pretty well, better the second week as I found out what was missing from my generic lessons plans the first week.  The whole having a new grand daughter process is pretty hard to explain to my class!

I tried to be generally helpful while visiting but my main job was playing with Emily while everyone else napped.  She has a set of pop beads that she got for her birthday (she calls them snap beads) and we created jewelry every day.  They are just like the pop beads we used to have only more shapes, sizes, colors and patterns.  They still just "pop" together.  Fun and we did something different with them each day.  They couldn't be used while Dallas was awake.

Noelle is very sweet and had learned new things just from last Saturday when we left to Tuesday when I went back!  She stays awake for a while now, really studies things with her eyes and really, really listens when you talk.  She knew it was not Laura when I was talking to her and she would get very still if you sang to her.

When I got home Thursday I was able to spend an hour with Charley.  He looks big compared to Noelle!  He is talking up a storm and giggles at about everything.  I got to stay with him this morning as well, they were supposed to raise the roof on the garage, but the rain cancelled that.  I stayed with Charley and Greg went back to sleep.  When he got up I went to the shop and got a haircut.  I missed my appointment when Noelle was born.

School year has begun

I'm all settled into my new "new" room and feel pretty important to have a separate office. Of course, it's only because my desk wouldn't fit in my classroom :). We had open house/meet your teacher night last night. I had several of my families stop in. The building was very busy. That is a good omen for the coming year. Today we have professional development and tomorrow the kiddos arrive for the first official day. Part of my day today will be CPR training. I haven't been certified in several years and I have a student with a seizure disorder, so I need to be certified. Hopefully I will never have to put practice into reality.
Also yesterday I got to have coffee with an old teaching buddy who was in town. She lives near Branson now, for 12 years or so. I tried to fit in a visit between meetings and open house and also got to watch Charley while we were having coffee. He was a perfect gentleman, but he put my arm to sleep while he napped. I felt young, all the others at the table were retired.
The rain hasn't affected us personally, but we know plenty of people with serious water in their basements. Highway 92 east of town has been closed for days and the way the pictures look, some serious reconstruction may need to happen on the road. I don't know how this will affect the start of school. There are other routes, but buses will certainly have to backtrack a bunch.

Lynne or Laura

Can you tell me how to move things in my blog so you can see the title? Be detailed, please.

Another opportunity

I got called to the office again today, and again, just as I was walking out the door. It seems since the president signed a bill giving some education money back, our district can hire some teachers. Our fifth grade teachers won't have to have 31 students in their class, but they will get to have my room. I have two days before school starts to move (again, sigh) and this time to a teacher's lounge, not a classroom. I will need to be creative! Plus side is I'll be close to my best school friend again. And, BTW, it is dry at school, although parts of Oskaloosa are pretty soggy. I heard Ames has a boil water order, I bet we will too in a day or two since the water treatment plant is sure to be under if all that water comes downstream. Never a dull moment.

end of summer as I know it

I still have pictures to publish but they are on the MACbook and when they updated, they put blogspot on a list of firewalled items ( no social networks are allowed on school computers during school hours so kids can't be off task) so I will have to figure out how to transfer so I can post them here.

I have spent several hours at school trying to do what I can ahead. Got to babysit with Charley several times as well. He changes every time I see him, has learned many new things. It sure is fun to watch him talk to the toys! Only one more band concert for the season as well, then I can start babysitting Thursday nights.

Sweetcorn Serenade went well. Last year and this we have had the Celebration Iowa Jazz band and Singers perform. We used to know them as the State Fair Jazz band and Singers. It brings a good crowd as does the rest of the celebration (corn, pork burgers, vendors, kids' games, crafts, etc)The night ends with our band concert - our biggest audience of the year but also the noisiest, I'm not really here for the music audience. MUSCO lighting donated new lighting for the park and the bandstand, state of the art LED lights. Now I don't have to have a secret stash of light bulbs for when the teenagers steal the light bulbs just before the concert!

Nothing else happening here.

Staycation

Well, I've been waiting to post until I could include some pictures but my camera and my computer are not on speaking terms right now, I guess! Dan and I celebrated our 15th anniversary by spending a couple of days in Des Moines. On Friday we went to the Hall of Pride. Very interesting but I think high schoolers might enjoy it more, maybe middle schoolers. We went to see "Knight and Day" the movie at Jordan Creek as well as a little shopping and ate dinner at Fazoli's (hadn't been there in a really long time). Saturday we slept in, drove around at Saylorville Lake, went to visit the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge, visited a VW dealer (we need a part for Vera) rested a bit, then went to an Iowa Cubs game. Sunday we shopped a little before coming home. One thing we always do is great breakfasts - did a Village Inn and an IHOP.

Tuesday is my regular afternoon to babysit for Charley for a little bit between when Greg goes to work and Chelsey comes home from work, and he slept pretty much the whole time. Today Dan went along for a while and Charley was awake the whole time. He is starting to coo and is darned adorable!

I have dinner in the oven and waiting for Dan - he is having a needle removed from his foot - it has been embedded for a couple of months. I think it is probably my fault, so I'll try to wait on him a bit tonight!

I will post pictures, especially of the military museum if I can get the camera/computer figured out.

still on vacation

Nothing going on here except occasional rain showers as usual. I took Dan's mom to her Dr.'s appointment today - we were supposed to be there by 11:15 and left there at 1:30, then we went to lunch at Wendy's before I took her home. I finished an entire book while there:) I guess the morning was busy, but there weren't very many people in the waiting room.
Last week one day I spent in Ames so Laura could go to a Dr.'s appointment. Waiting there was more fun :). It is always good to see her and the kids, didn't run into Robert, then went to Des Moines to meet Lynne for supper and a short visit. I like those kinds of days. Yesterday I spent a little bit with Charley between when Greg went to work and Chelsey came home from work. He changes every day.
I had an eye dr appointment last week - for Sherrie - I have posterior vitreous detachment - means the fluid in the eye gets cloudy once in a while and acts like a floater. Nothing they can fix, and your brain covers it up after a while so you don't notice. I'm sorry Sherrie's was more serious, how's it going now? I didn't need lens changes.
I just got my school computer back from updates so now I can't put off doing school work very much longer. Wish I could get a schedule in mind, that's the biggest concern I have right now about the new job.
Other than that, I have been doing city band work, a rehearsal and concert each week. This week we have a substitute director, I hope it doesn't rain so we need to move the concert indoors, the director usually handles those arrangements and he's in DC. I've been reading a lot, so look for updates on my list soon.

vacation

School is out and I haven't had much time at home yet. Thursday and Friday I spent moving things at school. Monday and Tuesday I did committee work for school. We splurged and met at the local coffee shop so good lunches and beverages were available. We got lots done, so it was a good thing. Today I went back to school for a bit to organize shelves but couldn't do much as my laptop (ok, the school's laptop) is in getting updated and I couldn't get any of the room computers to recognize me. Then I worked in the band office. I finally finished creating the spreadsheet of all the pieces of music we have (was supposed to be a winter project) so all that remains is proof reading and editing. I washed the kitchen floor and now I'm doing this.
Sunday I attended a baby shower for Charley and got to hold him for a while. I always look forward to this.
I made two little quilt type wall hangings for Mae's door, but she hasn't seen them yet. I got the air conditioner installed in here, but this room really needs a good cleaning, especially after I dragged out the dust bunnies where the air conditioner was :). Maybe tomorrow?