Time Flies Need Eradicated

 The school year has sort of started.  Kids haven't started but the rest of us have.  We did not have to go to the big family fun meeting place this year.  I was SO happy.  I HATE that place...so much confusion and it is COLD and the food sucks.  I don't like having to check the bed for bed bugs.  uck!

I was separated from my teaching team I was in last year.  I was placed in a POD that has 2 new teachers and 2 new Intervention Specialists.  A POD consists of 2 ELA gen ed teachers, 2 math gen ed teachers, 4 Intervention Specialists. Each POD consists of 2 teams.  MY team is the 2 new teachers and 1 new Intervention Specialist.  The math teacher from the other team, I worked with a couple years ago in a POD. She called me yesterday afternoon because she said she felt she needed to see how I was doing with all of this NEW.  She told me that she says I should take it as a compliment...that obviously they felt I was capable enough to help get the new people on track and get everyone through the year. She said she felt I was always on it and ready.  Even if that is true...I don't WANT to be that person.  This year is going to be crazy enough without having to take on all of this NEW.  However, I don't seem to have a choice in the matter.  

Charity...the IS I worked with last year...is upset because she said she wouldn't have made it through last year without me.  She messages me now still and asks me all kinds of questions.  Tonight she messaged me and asked me if I had seen the new students that we got.  This was around 7 o'clock. I told her, "Why did you have to mess up my night with talk of work?"  She said she was sorry but they just put out a new spreadsheet and now she has 36 students.  I found that quite suspect so I had to go check my work computer.  I found the email, opened the spreadsheet and sorted for our names.  I still had 18 students.  I told her, "I only see 18 students under your name." She said, "yes and I already had 18 students." "Charity, if you look at the names, you will find they are those same 18 students."  "oh"  Then she spent the next 10 minutes messaging me 'sorry' memes.  I told her it was fine...no harm.  she could relax...yada yada.  Oy

My younger sister may find herself without a job and no pay since her school district is planning on closing down and doing online for at least the rest of the semester and since she is a paraprofessional they said they would not be working, would not be paid and could not file for unemployment because they are state govt workers.  She just bought a new car in June to replace the old van that fell apart in March.  

My son is looking for his next job when this contract expires in October. He says it does not look like he will be hired on full time.  They said they will be letting contract workers go.  

And the hits just keep on coming.  My brother said things where he works are nuts so he took the week off.  

I just need to keep trying to make some positive changes for myself.  More exercise each day.  I have been doing some each day but I need to start increasing that.  I am drinking a lot more water.  I need to try some yoga.  I also need to make my butt move out the door and off some place every once in a while.

My front door is waiting to be painted along with the trim around the outside and inside.  I also need to get my house number sign completed.  I hope it is not raining Saturday.  

I also am registering to take a 3 semester credit hour class this semester about processing disorders.  I have until December 1 to complete it.  My school is paying for it and I need the credit hours to renew my teaching license.  yay.  

Pete and RePete

 My son came and spent a week with me.  He arrived May 16.  He had a work from home job so he worked from the desk in the 2nd bedroom.  We had dinner together each night. We visited my parents a few times.  He spent time arguing with his wife on the phone.  We watched some movies.  He complained about the things his wife does and says to him.  He contemplated not going back.  He contemplated divorce.  Then when the next Saturday rolled around, I told him that if he was going back he needed to leave that day because the next day it was going to rain and he freaks out driving in the rain.  So, he packed and left. 

Pete and RePete.

I have 6 more student days left.  I am SO over this school year.  I also have an interview with a new school tomorrow.  I interviewed with them last year and the head of the SPED department wanted to hire me but enrollment was down.  We shall see how it goes this time.  It is less work and more money.

I am not sure how I feel about anything.   I am doing some more fixes to my house.  Nothing major.  Railing on the front steps, more landscaping, paver walk to the porch, lattice privacy screen to the back deck, flooring in my bedroom, new paint on my bedroom walls.  The landscaping makes me happy.

I  am thankful that things are moving along somewhat normal for myself.  However, I miss my friends and doing things.  That sounds juvenile but it is lonely.

 

Stop to Admire the Dandelions

I have seen a lot of posts about not killing the dandelions in your yard because that is what the bees use for food in the spring before everything opens up.  You know....my yard should be Bee Heaven right now.  And I do not care.  My mom is so proud that they have fought the battle of the dandelions and win every year.  They have a beautiful yard and home.  People know who they are because of it and remark to them about it when they are out and about.  I will not be known for that although I have had many older women in the neighborhood stop and remark to me how nice my flower gardens look. Personally I think they probably look really nice to them because they remember what it all looked like before I bought the place.  It is just a comparison.

And there I go again not giving myself credit.

There is this father and son that go past my house on bikes every Saturday morning.  The father looked quite awkward on the bike the first few times but he is now looking more confident. The son has a smile on his face.  I am deducing that dad always had other things to do before but now he has free time and is doing more things with his son.  Son obviously is quite happy about it.

I do not begrudge the Stay at Home orders and shutowns for things like allowing nature to get cleaned up and thrive and for families to thrive.  I do, however, mourn the negative impact it has had on businesses and personal economy.  I think there are lawn care businesses that are hurting because more people are beginning to take care of their own lawns because they have time and it is something to do and/or they can't afford to pay someone else to do it right now.  Frankly, if I had the money, I would pay someone to at least mow it for me.

I gave my dad's laptop to my cousin Tommy and he fixed it for him.  I paid Tommy since this was the 3rd laptop he had worked on for me.  Hopefully there will not be others.  Dad is pleased that he will be able to use it again.

I hear the woman next door yapping at her husband. She is so loud.   I am hoping that I will be able to get my lattice privacy wall up this week before TJ gets here.   I would like to go out on the deck with him.  It will not stop the noise from next door but it will lend a bit of privacy.  I should be able to open up my blinds on that side of the sunroom.  The Lucy won't be laying there watching them and barking every time someone makes a move. 

I am washing some clothes and waiting for my outdoor work clothes to dry.  I need the oversized sweatshirt to wear because it is still cool with a damp breeze.    I am just enjoying sitting here in the sunroom right now while Lucy watches out the doors.  The summer noises have begun...cars driving by with their windows down and music turned up, a few motorcycles.  There aren't so many motorcycles yet because they use this road to go to Geneva-on-the-Lake.  It is a summer 'fun' spot with games, outdoor eating places, bars, a small amusement park, zipline, and lots of bikers.    I used to go there on summer nights with my friends when I was a teenager.  We rode go-carts, played mini-golf, ate pizza.  The amusement park sat quiet at that time and of course there was no zipline then because no one had thought of it.  They have an arcade too.  I was not into video games at that point.  I tried playing pinball a few times.  We just hung out with other teenagers.  The bikers all basically stayed at one end of the strip at that time.  Now they are all over.  More bars have opened.  The strip hosts a Biker Weekend near the end of summer and the roar off all of those gangs of bikers going past my house is enormous.  Lucy and I escape to my parents' during those days.  Not sure how that will play out this summer. 

I am hoping they still have the boat parade this summer but I don't know.  With social distancing it may not happen because there is always hoards of people that gather. 

So many things are different and hard to plan out.