Sunday night blues

This has been a fairly full weekend for me. I can hardly believe I made it to Sunday.

P1000236.jpgFriday I got to school before 8 for the first time in months. Months! I am doing the AfterSchool Program Friday afternoons now. The last kids are picked up at 5:30. Lord S joined me at 5 with BK and we ate while the boys played Marble Blast. We went to Dancing Queen (introduction of new character) and Rockstar’s house. P1000265.JPG They have owned it since October, but this is the first time I have been there (yeah, it is in my school’s backyard, so sue me). They are moving in next weekend after months of renovation. They have more work to do, but Rockstar’s mom comes home this week and they’ve been living at her house. Lord S came down to Small Town School to chaperone the year’s final roller skate. I ate too many Rice Krispy Treats (but they were homemade!). The night didn’t end there. We headed down to the Small Town Bar for a band and fundraiser. My sister, Supermom (+ boyfriend), and Dancing Queen all joined us eventually. I only made it to 11:00, so we headed home.

P1000426.JPG P1000424.JPG Saturday the tile guy came at 8, so we, of course, got up at 5 of 8. I weighed in (not so good) and then went home a took a nap. Lord S worked in the yard and I helped some. The bathroom is coming out great. After nearly 5 years I am tired of waiting, so I am glad to see progress. P1000448.JPG In the evening we went to the Museum for the season/show opening. It will be the last opening for the current director, but he isn’t leaving town, just the job. Lord S and I will be heading back for a better look at the art. We didn’t eat much, so we headed with the group to a nearby resturaunt and ended up closing the place. We met several new people and had a great time.

P1000413.JPGP1000364.JPGP1000358.JPGP1000287.JPGP1000391.JPG
Today I spent most of the day sleeping. Lord S did some stuff for his mom and then went down country (over an hour) for 10 more tiles for the bathroom. 2 Home Depots within 20 minutes and probably 5 within 45 and I pick tiles from a Lowes over an hour away. So now we have the tile and that job can be finished. Of course, now it is 11:15 and I am not tired. I am uploading pictures to Flickr, so I can jazz up this post, but that will take forever (I am doing 50+), so I will have to add them tomorrow. Yeah, it is only 10% done.

Good night. Look for this post to update again in the morning (not that anyone is going to read it at this hour). Hey, if you do read it, could you say hi? I haven’t gotten comments in a while and I am feeling kind of lonely.

Thursday Things

This week has been the same old, same old. Oh wait! No it hasn’t!

Monday was hard. I hate going back to school after a vacation. It is even worse than going back after summer. At the start of the school year, we are all excited and fresh. After spring break, all we are really doing (kids and teachers) are counting down the days. We started reading a story about Barn Owls and then finished our octopus work. I am never going to get these kids writing. Damn! I had GOTR and then rehearsal. Then we went to Friendly’s for Best Lady’s birthday. Yeah, we’re cool.

Tuesday was nuts. Everyone at school was going crazy trying to get ready for our site visit the next day. I should have taken before and afters of my classroom, especially my desk. The pottery class I was going to work at (have I mentioned I do pottery? since I was 7) didn’t happen so I got to go home before rehearsal. After rehearsal BL came over and cut my hair (no photos yet) and ate dinner with us.

Wednesday was our site visit. 4 people from of Dept of Ed came and observed, talked to staff and parents, and were pleased with what they saw. Did I mention we were the very first school to be visited under this pilot program? I pity the next elementary school they go to. We may have internal strife, but man, we look good on the outside!

Today was Thursday. Plain old Thursday. Work. Pottery pick up. Dinner with BL (my mac and cheese). Rehearsal. Grey’s with Mr. Director.

Good night.

Best Lady’s Birthday

Monday was Best Lady’s birthday. She is 32! Lord S and I went shopping on Sunday and tried to buy her a gift. Here are some of the things we found.

IMG_8078.JPG IMG_8079.JPG While at Oce@n St@te J*b L*t we found these great fish. They were unstuffed pillows. I thought we could buy some stuffing and make her a very nice body pillow. Lord S thought not and so we just took pictures. OSJL is a crazy-ass store with everything you could possibly want – for cheap! They have them all over New England, although not in Vermont. The aisles are crowded and narrow. There is crap all over the place. The cashiers are surly. And stuff is CHEAP! In the 20 minutes we were in there the cashier on aisle 4 called for assistance 5 times! They look like they are on the set of a movie about angry retail workers.

Next we went to the store next to OSJL, it looked kind of like a TJ Maxx, but it was called A.J. Wr!ght. It was little, how do I put it? Not what I expected. I will let the gifts that we picked explain themselves.
IMG_8080.JPGIMG_8081.JPGIMG_8083.JPG IMG_8085.JPG

Do woman really still wear hats? And what is that glass bust thing? Lord S just liked the name Apple Bottoms. It made a lot more sense when we saw shirts with that label too. We are certainly showing our rural sensibilities aren’t we? As a fan of the Da Vinci Code (book, not movie) I was interested in the Last Supper print. I suppose it is more near to accurate than the original, done by a white European, but it was still a little startling.

Happy Birthday, Best Lady! Hope it was a good one!

Vacation week

This has been a strange vacation week.

It started off really crappy. The weather was cold, snowy, and dark. I stayed home and worked on the last of my baby bibs. I will post pictures of them soon. I didn’t do any cleaning or decluttering.

Wednesday was kind of cold and grey but Mooch and I went to Keene to shop. I bought $.99 washcloth cotton at Michaels. Mooch helped my pick out colors, so now she is going to get some new washcloths. We also shopped at Borders, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Target. While at Target Mooch’s best friend called (three times) and we made a plan to meet at Margarita’s for dinner. They picked up Lord S and we had a great time to the max

Yesterday I went to the woo-woo doctor. I love my woo-woo doctor. She is great. We talk about everything. Yesterday’s topic was colleges. Her daughter is a junior and she has just started looking. I mean, we also talked about my woo-woo, but we talk about other stuff too. She comes to see my plays, mostly Shakespeare, but she also saw me when I was the naked bride in a play about our local history. She has been my doctor for about 5 years. Some day I will have the courage to write about my history with her. Not today.

Yesterday I got a wild hair (hare?) and cleaned the kitchen. I don’t like to clean, but I was on the floor with a cloth and spray cleaning the floor. I did laundry and dishes and cleaned out under the sink. Do you know we have TEN pairs of rubber gloves for hand dishwashing? And 3 bottles of dishwashing blue stuff (like Jet Dry), 2 partial bottles of dishwasher detergent and 1 full one, 2 boxes of Swiffer cloths and a box plus of Swiffer WetJet cloths. You would think I would have a really clean kitchen. I also need to get rid of stuff from my pantry, maybe next week.

The best news of the week is the tile guy is here!! When we bought our house in June 2002 Lord S and my dad started changing a small extra bedroom upstairs into a 3/4 bath for us. They crashed the ceiling into the attic and got some plumbing started. It has taken nearly 5 years to get us to the point where we could get the tile guy in. The first few years, when I would say something about this, my dad would point out that they had replumbed and wired the house. It escaped him though that they did that in the first 3 months we owned the house. I used to have dreams that we had to sell the house and we hadn’t finished the bathroom so we couldn’t sell the house. As soon as the bathroom is done we have a million other projects to do.

I don’t have much of a plan for today, except more cleaning. I will probably come back later.

It’s OK

It’s nice to know there’s someone who caresWhen you feel all alone and suddenly scaredYour mom and dad will make it OKWhen they give you a hug, the fear goes away.Chorus:It’s OK (It’s OK)It’s really all rightIt’s all right. (It’s all right)It’s really OKYou’re as safe in the night as you are in the dayIt’s all right (It’s all right)It’s really OK.You can squeeze your pillow, squeeze it real tight.You can crawl out of bed and turn on the lightYou know it’s not so bad to be alone in the nightIt’s OK. It’s really all right.Chorus

8536541322.jpgIn the late 1970s/early 1980’s, when I was growing up, there was not much cool music aimed at kids. Only recently has there been an explosion of music that parents could listen to, and enjoy, with their children. Sure there were recordings for children, but they were limited and mostly folk-music (not every family loves folk music). But I didn’t know about this lack, because I had my own rock band.t_756.jpgMy parents tell a story about when I was 18 months old and we were visiting Florida. We went to the Dade County Fair because their friends, Rosenshontz, were playing there. We saw the concert and then went back to the trailer. The little tiny, itty bitty trailer. But it had air conditioning! That was 1977.8536541242.jpgWhen I was a kid growing up these two guys came to my school, first my Montessori pre-school/kindergarten and later at my elementary school. They played cool music, kid rock, with songs we could sing and dance to. We laughed and danced and rolled on the floor. And we Hugga Hugga Hugged. We went to Teddy Bear’s Picnics with our stuffed bears.713647.jpgAs I grew up and grew out of the music I was still blessed. Those men lived in my town and my parents knew them pretty well. Gary Rosen lived next to the store my parents owned while I was growing up. We sold their records in the store. It was just one of the ways Brattleboro is the center of the universe. Sadly, they had a falling out over 10 years ago and the music came to an end. They continued to live in the same town, but everyone who knew them knew it was an angry break up. Each went his own way and made his own music, but to kids like me, it was never the same.DL1.jpgHappily, as an adult, I have also been able to watch the Rosen children, Lela, Penn, and Eliza, grow up into talented terrific kids. I’ve worked with Penn in Shakespeare in the Park. He was an annoying 14 year old, but he did what I asked. My husband and I have seen them all in the high school musicals over the last 7 years. Lord S had the pleasure of starring in the musical Children of Eden with Penn in 2006. Penn played Adam and Noah, son of my husband’s God. Lela had leads in her later musicals and Eliza is showing her talents as each year progresses. [Penn is on the left in the blue shirt; Lela is on the right looking at her dad, Eliza is next to her.]petsounds.jpgJust a few years ago I heard some hard news. Gary was diagnosed with ALS. My friend Bonnie, whose family is very close to the Rosens, told me about it. Over the summer he began to feel weak and shakey. In the fall it was hard to walk. By December he needed help doing many things. But he swore he would walk at Lela’s graduation that June. Sadly, by February, he needed a wheelchair to make it to see his children, all of them, in the high school musical. He relied more and more on that chair. Over the last few years his friends have rallied.DL4.jpgJust that spring, Bonnie organized a fundraising concert featuring musical acts from our community. (I will always be sad I had to miss it for another production.) The most wonderful moment, save for the finale, was when Bill Shontz, Gary’s former partner, took the stage. Even though they had such a difficult past Bill knew their history was more important.The concert was sold out and broadcast frequently on our local television station.aamilne_me.jpgBonnie and others organized a group of 20 friends who went every day to Gary’s house. They read with him, talked with him, helped him. They were there to relieve Mary and the children. There were nurses as well, but his friends were there for everything else. He even put together one last album. With songs he had previously recorded and tracks laid down by his children, Gary celebrated his favorite author A.A. Milne. Money was raised for a super wheelchair to help him get around in the world. He made it the last two years to the musical. This year he got to see Penn as Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and Eliza as a choir leader organzing and leading dozens of school children in the chorus.JRH2.jpgThis past summer there was one final Teddy Bears’ Picnic with Gary Rosen. They were the opening concert at our community Summer Arts in the Park series. The children performed accompanied by local musician, Dan DeWalt.Penn will graduate this year. He is currently choosing from the schools that accepted him and looking forward to the end of the year. Lela is in her 2nd year of college and Eliza is a freshman in high school. As hard as the last 3 years have been Gary and Mary and their friends have made sure those kids had as normal a life as they could.Gary died this past weekend. It was kept out of the media until today. My mom told me yesterday. His family was prayed for at my church on Sunday and my sought out friends who would know what happened. I am glad his suffering has ended – isn’t that what you are supposed to say? But it hurts in my heart to know he is gone.obituary2005 Boston Globe articleDL7.jpg

I’ve got a friend. She’s different than me.Says her seeing eye dog does the seeing she needs.I say “Don’t you miss the sun going down?”She says, “No! Not when I’ve got friends all around.Don’t go feeling sorry for meI may be blind but I can see that(Chorus)I, I’m gonna be the best that I canYes I am, yes I am. Yes.I, I’m gonna be the best that I canYes I am, yes I am.I’ve got a friend, moves slower than meHis paralyzed legs won’t let him run free.I say, “Don’t you miss running around?”He says, “No! It’s never gonna slow me down.Don’t go feeling sorry for me.I cannot run, but I can see that(Chorus)I’ve got a friend who’s special to knowHis mind’s not too quick and his speech is slowI say, “Don’t you feel sad when kids put you down?’He says, “No! Not when I’ve got love all around.Don’t go feeling sorry for me.I may be slow but I can see that(Chorus)We’ve got a dad who’s special to knowAlthough he’s been sick, he’s still doing his showWe say, don’t you feel sad that you’ve got to slow down?(Rosen) Oh no, not when I’ve got love all aroundDon’t go feeling sorry for meI may be sick, but I can seeI’m gonna be the best that I canYes I am, yes I am

Sunday night blues – more white than blue

Had a great time last night at the bar. Friend’s band was great. Mooch came with us and had fun. Lots of people there I knew – including several parents – that’s what happens when you live and work in small towns. We headed out around 11 and Mooch stayed behind to catch a ride with Mr. Director.

Lord S left this morning around 9 to help build a set. I didn’t even open my eyes until 11. Came downstairs to snow. Snow falling, snow landing, snow building up. Spent most of the day catching up on blogs and email. There is a lot you can do to waste time on the web.

No school next week. What’s a girl to do?

Again with the snow

I have been up since 11. There was maybe an inch of new snow when I came downstairs. It has been snowing steadily since, although I think for a little while it was rainy, and it doesn’t seem like it is going to stop. I bet we have 3 inches out there. Dang.

Maybe I will suck it up and go outside to take some pictures later.

Or maybe not.

So far Saturday

Last night we went to dinner with my sister, her best friend, and a guy friend of theirs. We ate at our favorite resturaunt (not our favorite diner, which is a different place) and had a ball. We laughed and talked and stared at the people on the other side of the window. After dinner we stopped at the grocery store and got cheesecake.

Of course, there was a scene there too. Mooch’s friend needed to use the bathroom, but doesn’t like public restrooms. She made a formal announcement that she was going and then was back right away. No TP. So my sister goes into the men’s room and comes out with a huge wad of TP. Meanwhile we have already left the aisle and are trying to pretend we don’t know her. She chased us yelling, “I got you toilet paper!” We were laughing again in the nearly empty grocery store when this older woman in a wheelchair comes up past us and says “You just keep laughing. I wish my friends would laugh with me about stuff.” It was crazy.

We popped in Monty Python and the Holy Grail while we ate. My sister kept saying (how had she not seen this movie yet?) “I don’t get it. Why is it funny? Why are you laughing? This is not funny.” I fell asleep during the movie, and woke up kind of hazy at the end.

This morning we went to WW to weigh in (not so good, last week was -9.2 and today way -6.6). We headed south to Best Lady’s parents’ house for scrapbooking. I spent the day playing with her new kitty and watching T play Lego Star Wars. I got some work done, but not enough. I still have to journal and do three more pages before this album is finished.

Now we are getting ready to go to Small Town to hear my friend’s band play. He is the husband of a friend from work and we missed the last show due to snow. Mooch is going with us, but I think it won’t be a very late night. Although how “not late” can an evening that starts at 9 pm be?

Thursday Things

IMG_7892.JPGThe talk yesterday was that we might have a delayed entry today. The weather wasn’t so bad here first thing. Schools all over our area were closed, but not in the Strathconn Valley. Big huge snow drops were falling, but everything was just wet. The trees still have snow from last week. By the time I got to school there was about an inch of slush on the ground.

When we got to school the talk had turned to early release. We were all talking about moving the performance of the school play from the afternoon to the morning. At 8:45 we had the morning announcements and school started without any good news. By 9:00 the principal got on the loudspeaker to tell us the play would be at 10:00 and lunches would be early, so we could dismiss at … wait for it … 12:30!!

octopus.gifI spent most of the morning bemoaning my period cramps in the library. At 10 I went to the play (very funny, great job kids) and at 11:10 we had 30 minutes of Literacy. With 3 girls out, and a boy who left early, we had a very quiet morning. We worked on our Octopus accordian books. The kids worked quietly and showed me great effort and direction following. After Lit I killed some time and then went to eat lunch (baked ham dinner) with some third graders, and then killed time in the office until I could take off.

On my way home I stopped by the hospital to see my friend (with the no longer yellow baby). She had several of her (right side) kidney stones removed and the doctor told her the ones in her left kidney can probably be treated with meds. Today is her 37th birthday and she has to spend it in the hospital. She has been looking forward to going out with her friends tonight, as the first time she could have a drink since she got pregnant. I gave her two cards (happy birthday and get well) and gossiped about a huge news story in Small Town. Her husband was there holding formerly yellow baby (who needs a better nickname) who I hadn’t gotten to meet yet. I am going to go visit over vacation and I plan to hold her the whole time.

IMG_7909.JPGI have now been home, watching soaps and the snow, for two hours. I haven’t gotten anything else done, not even any real Bloglines reading. That’s not true. I have been reading email. I even voted several times for my friend’s Peep-orama (see previous entry). I have eaten 2 stiff Peeps (yummy).

Tonight Lord and I were going to Marlboro College to see a lecture about software freedom, but it has been cancelled due to snow. I may call him and ask him to bring home BK. Or maybe we will go to our favorite diner. Tonight is a Grey’s clip show, so Mr. Director won’t be coming and we will watch something we recorded earlier in the week (like LOST).