Holy Deluge Batman

We didn't get severe weather last night, just a few rumbles of thunder but the rain. Holy merde! I didn't realize how much we got until I stood up from the couch and saw the lake at the bottom of the yard and the river that ran to it. I mean, YOWZA! There goes all that seed we laid. Dammit! Fucking dammit! Oh well. It subsided and is now just a swamp back there, I'm sure. Apparently Loveland got hit pretty hard with heavy rain and of course we've got more coming this evening. However, after that, we should be dry until next week. Fingers crossed. 

Jim's off work today. It's fine. I've already written up a list of to-do items for him. And let me tell you it better get done. Second on the list is to remove the gigantic dead mole in the front yard. I mean, this thing, no kidding, is as big as my foot. And I have big feet! I have no idea how it died but dead it is if the flies covering it's carcass is any indication. It's pretty gross. Good luck Jim. I told him to remove it 2 days ago and he didn't so now he'll have to deal with it's rotting disgustingness. 

Dinner tonight: I think I'll make a chicken tortellini meal with a salad. 

I got in the hot tub to swim yesterday and man I wore myself out. My arms and legs were like jelly. I don't mind but I hadn't walked Scout yet and that was a task. 

One of Jim's jobs today is to call Direct TV to see if they have any deals and offers that would make it worth our while to switch from Fioptics. I've had it with them. They keep taking channels away and my bill keeps going up. The whole reason for switching from Spectrum was because their prices were getting out of hand. However, I'm about $20 away from what my Spectrum bill was when I switched and I have NO channels. Fingers crossed we can get a good deal without too much hassle. 

The new kid starts today. I have no idea how all this will go, hopefully well but I'll have this kid three bells a day and that's a LOT. I'm hoping he'll be in a honeymoon stage during these last weeks of school and not give any of us too much bother. Fingers crossed. 

And that's all I have. Time to get a move on. Happy Tuesday! Later.

Atta Girl!

I woke up this morning to a text from Maggie saying that Eva got a homerun last night in her softball game. WOOT! I looked it up on Game Changer and I think they won 33-2. I mean that's a legit ass kicking! Yowza! Congrats! They're supposed to have a game tonight as well but we'll see if that happens since the weather may not cooperate. 

Speaking of the weather, we were in a "slight" change for severe storms but they've upped it to "enhanced". The threat is supposed to start after noon with the strongest storms hitting just after I get home. Ugh! Fingers crossed all is well. With more leaves on the trees, I get more nervous. 

I made a menu for the week but I left it at school. I think I have grilled chicken on there which I might make if the weather isn't terrible. Otherwise, I'll do chicken salad with corn. We'll see. 

The kids are driving me crazy more and more. They're getting more and more squirrely and by the time 7th period rolls around, I want to send nearly all of them to the office (or out the window) for their obnoxious behavior. It also doesn't help that of the 11 kids in my 7th period class, only one of them is a girl. These boys are just so boyish. I'm happy to say that the majority of them will NOT be in my classes next year. Two are going to the career center and 2 will be seniors and have already had the history class I'll be teaching next year. 

Oh, get this, so the sped chick they hired for next year? I don't know if I mentioned this but when we talked about who we were going to hire a couple weeks ago, I pretty much begged them to hire someone with some kind of experience; someone NOT fresh out of college. Guess what? They hired someone who has NEVER held a sped position before and will be completely overwhelmed as she wades through the muck that is a first year teachers experience. Add to that her certification is in Moderate/Intensive instead of Mild/Moderate (M/I is the MD classroom) I'm guessing that the first chance she gets to bolt, she will. Add even more shit to that, when our department head spoke to her last week, she told him she'd prefer not to have any autistic kids on her caseload. I mean that's almost funny. Had she said that to me, I would have laughed in her face, assuming she was joking. That just isn't possible and it makes me already want to kick her ass. What the fuck is this district thinking? Ugh! My sped teacher emailed the department yesterday and asked us all to email 3 students on our caseload for next year that could go on the new chicks load. I emailed back 1 easy, 1 fucking horrible and 1 middle of the road. I think that's fair. I'm sure it won't happen that I manage to get rid of my horrible kid but I'm trying. 

And that's all I've got. Happy Tuesday. Best mosey. Later! 

4 Weeks

Not including this one, I have 3 more Mondays until summer! Woot! 

Weekend Update: Jim and I had a lovely and chill weekend. Friday we hung out, hot tubbed it, Jim went to bed before me and I watched some mindless but enjoyable TV. Saturday we went out and about looking for a few things for our outdoor space but struck out. In the end, I just ordered from Amazon (another umbrella for the patio and then new cushions for the Adirondack rockers out front. The ones we have are pretty much spent and they're maroon which doesn't work for me anymore. I got navy blue which will match the umbrellas. 

From there, we headed to Kirby's for lunch and then home. I made sloppy joes for dinner Saturday and hot tubbed alone. Jim was hunkered down in his chair and just didn't feel like moving. I wasn't mad at him. 

Sunday Jim and I did more yardwork. I started pulling up some of the rolled hay/mesh in the backyard but quickly realized it wasn't ready for removal. Though I took up some, most is still there. I seeded some more and then mowed a bit. It's coming along but will just take time. We did not go to Shooters yesterday because I wasn't feeling it and we were going to Raeburn for dinner. We left here around 4:00 and had a lovely steak dinner with my crack green beans, Anne's scalloped potatoes, Susan's salad and Trip's marinated cucumbers. Everything was so good and it was nice to get together and toast Dad. We missed Maggie and Cullen though. 

Charlie made it to India yesterday. His flight left Saturday from Columbus around 4:00 PM and he got to his final destination around 4:30 PM our time. At least that's when Maggie texted me. I know she was very worried about this trip, it is halfway around the world, but it seems all went well. He'll be home Friday. 

I have absolutely no idea what I'm cooking tonight. I'll probably just grill up some chicken or maybe pork chops. I'll make my menu when I get to school today.

Speaking of school, I don't have much going on this week. No meetings that I recall. My new student starts on Wednesday and hopefully that will go off without a hitch. He's toured the building three times, I think, and all that buildup will hopefully ease him in rather than stress him out. We'll see. I kind of expect a shit show but usually low expectations work out for the better in these instances. 

Jim's follow up appointment for his scan is today. Fingers crossed his scan looks good. You know I'll keep you all informed.

K - I'm out. Happy Monday. Man I hope this week goes by quickly. I'm losing gumption. Later!

Another Week Down

Are you sick of my countdown? Well, after today, you'll only have to deal with it for 4 more weeks! And!!! Three weeks from today, weather permitting, I'll be on my way to the Bay! My first trip of the year. 

Speaking of the Bay, Maggie sent me a video posted by the Crew's Nest of them taking out the kiddie pool. I'm sure they'll put something in its place. Maybe a splash pad? That would be perfect for the kids. And it would free up lifeguards, which is apparently why they took the kiddie pool out in the first place. They say it'll be up and running by Memorial Day but I'll believe that when I see it. I have faith but that's not far away at all. 

So happy it's Friday! I don't have much going on today but the new kid is doing another walk through with his mother around 11:45. I have a class during that time so I'll only meet him. That reminds me that I'll have to do some amendments on his IEP and I think that's planned for May 7th which reminds me again I need to add that to my to-do list. 

Jimmy just headed out extra early because he has a scan today. I'm a little nervous about this because the reason he's having it is because they saw a little something on his last scan. He was down to every 6 months but because of whatever it was they saw, he's back to every 3. Plus his coughing has been sort of concerning (to me) so fingers crossed. 

Dinner tonight: I'm going to do leftovers and Jimmy wants burrito bowls so that's what we're having. Easy and yummy.

Plans for the weekend: I need to go to At Home, Michaels and Home Depot. I need some new cushions and another umbrella from At Home, new birdhouses to paint from Michaels and the materials to fix my bathroom sink from Home Depot. After that I'm sure Jim and I will go out to lunch. Sunday we're headed over to Becky's for a belated birthday dinner in celebration of Dad with the fam. Can't wait. 

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy FRIDAY!!! Later!

Loving This Weather

This weather is making me so happy. The sunshine. The warmth. The breeze. It hasn't been humid but I think that's going to change today as possible pop-up storms move in. That's okay though too because my lawn needs some water. 

Yesterday after school, I kicked some ass! I got home, did dinner prep, then got on the elliptical. I only did 21 minutes because after that I mowed the lawn. I was only going to do the front yard but the geese were there so I decided to go to the back. I didn't realize how thick it was back there so good thing for the geese. After mowing in the back I decided to get what I could in the front and again, good thing I did because it was THICK. The geese moved into the circle so that was fine. From there I fed the dogs then walked Scout. He didn't get his normal long walk because I forgot to take water and he was struggling. That's okay though. 

My big old umbrella came yesterday and Jim and I put it together. It's really big and perfect for the front deck. We're going to have to stake it into the ground to stabilize it but it'll be nice to have the shade out there. 

I decided this morning to so another Pilates. I'm really liking it especially how it's giving me that good sore feeling. I plan to switch off with yoga like I said but you know when you're on a roll gotta keep it going. 

The boys just went outside which is unusual for them in the morning. They normally hunker down after breakfast and treats and are hard to get back out the door. It's this time of year. The sun comes up earlier which means animals are up earlier and so Scout needs to out there and bark and try to climb the fence. I did tell him before opening the door, "NO BARKING!!!" So far, he's quiet. Good boy. 

Dinner tonight will be a ham and pea pasta. I'm going to use up the ham from Easter. I've made this before and it's delicious. 

And that's all I've got. Happy Thursday! So happy tomorrow is Friday! Loves me a short week. later!

Maggie's Not Going To Like This

Have I mentioned that we have 2 geese that have been visiting the circle? They apparently they lost their nest, possibly to a coyote, over by the pond. I'm guessing they're in mourning and just gathering their goose wits before they move on. All they do is walk around, nibble grass and, yes, poop a bit. Sometimes they fly away for a bit and then return to honk on top of our houses but seriously, they're harmless. 

Well, my neighbor next door sent out a group text basically saying What're we going to do about these geese? I replied that it was fine. They're not hurting anyone and they'll be gone in a couple days. Of course this went back and forth with my passive aggressive next door neighbor having to have the last word. I wanted to send a final reply that said, "Why did you send a fucking text? You're going to do whatever the fuck you want so just do it when I'm not around and by the way, your fucking kids love those geese. And by the way again, Canada geese are protected! And by the way again, fuck right off." I mean, I get they're annoying. You don't want your kid to step in poop, but then, (as I texted) don't eat the poop and make sure your kids wear shoes out in the circle. Which by the way, they should anyway because some dumb fuck kid planted some sort of seeds in a split-in-half aluminum, razor sharp can that was sticking out of the ground. ARG!!! Have I mentioned I hate people!? No respect.

In other news, my observation went well yesterday and as I'd hoped, he only stayed for MAYBE 10 minutes. Add to that he gave me the highest rating (Accomplished) and all is right with the work world. For now. My IEP meeting went well too and the school counselor present emailed me after saying that, "You win the award for most efficient IEP meetings... that was awesome! Thank you!!" I pride myself of efficiency and short meetings. This one actually went longer than I normally go. I think it clocked at 24 minutes. 

Dinner tonight will be a sausage summer skillet. It's kind of a stir fry thing with smoked kielbasa sausage, corn, zucchini etc. Yummy! 

I think I mentioned that I started doing Pilates and man oh man did that Nicole kick my ass today. Phew. You think you're in shape and then you do something like the class I did today and you realized, nope, I'm a flabby out of shape mess. My back is feeling better, by the way. My goal is 2 days Pilates, 2 days yoga per week. We'll see how I fare. 

Okay well, I'm out of time and ramblings so time to mosey. Happy Wednesday. later!

"Busy" Day

Not a big deal but I do have a couple things going on today. First, I have my second observation at 9:00 during my 3rd period, which is my ELA class. I'm hoping that my VP will be so busy that he'll only be there for a fraction of the time. It's supposed to be a 30 minute observation but truly, who the fuck cares at this point? I'm not doing some song and dance, just my typical lesson and hopefully the kids will A) all be there and B) my autistic kid will not be off the rails. 

I also have an IEP meeting at noon but again, it shouldn't be a big deal and bonus, it's a Zoom meeting. This is a kid who does NOT want special ed services and is pretty self-sufficient but really just needs help staying on top of his assignments. The plan for next year is to wean him off me so that during 2nd semester, he's just checking in with me. We'll see how that goes. 

After the IEP today, I'll have one more to do. I sent an email out last week to set it up but the grandmother who has custody didn't reply until yesterday. The IEP isn't due until the 20th so I asked if the 15th or 16th would work. I only glimpsed at the email she sent back but saw that she asked if her daughter (the mother) could deal with the IEP because she has a really bad cough. Couple things: 1. The proposed meeting wouldn't be for 3 week. I hope your cough is gone by then but if not, you may have bigger problems. 2. The mother doesn't have custody so, sure, she can attend the meeting but she can't give permission to put it in place. I'll have to send the paperwork home. Which, whatever...no skin off my nose. I'll deal with it when I get to school.

Another email I saw that came through yesterday was from the parent of the kid who is supposed to start on 4/30. She wants to do ANOTHER (3rd) walk through with her kid (which is fine) but proposed Friday between either 11:30 and 1:00 or 3:30 and 4:30. A) I didn't set this shit up so I won't be doing the walk through because I teach during the earlier time and B) I'm out of there, especially on a Friday, at 2:30. Sorry, not sorry. I'll let my department head deal with this since he's the one that set all this shit up. They can pop into my room during the tour but again, I'll either be teaching or eating lunch. In other words, don't bug me. 

Jimmy snored so bad last night. I nearly killed him. I hate when he comes to bed before I go to sleep. I feel bad though since he had to go to Columbus and back. Other than shoving him a couple times and calling out his name a couple times when it was beyond, I let him be. He better not do this shit tonight. 

Dinner tonight: I think I'll make burgers. I need to figure out a recipe to make with the leftover ham from Easter. I'll figure that out today. 

And that's all I've got. Best get a move on. Later!

Monday Off

It was a lovely weekend with a lot of outdoor time. I took a couple nice long walks with Scoutie and Jim was finally home. We managed to get the yard thoroughly grated and spread with a ton of seed so hopefully the grass will be thick and lush soon. Though it did rain it was timed perfectly Saturday. We had just finished up the backyard seeding when we got a nice little downpour. It never rained yesterday but it's currently sprinkling so the front yard seed is getting watered. The rain will move out by the afternoon which will give me time this morning to do some Pilates and then clean. 

The one problem we still need to remedy is the pit in the front yard left by the trucks going back and forth in the drainage dip. Even though they added dirt to it, there's a point that's lower and can't drain which is a huge annoyance. Jim's going to call someone to get some more dirt delivered and spread there. So annoying and quite the eyesore. 

I bought a big old umbrella for the back patio. I may actually use it for the front deck but we'll see. Maybe I'll get another one to have one in the front and back. The front deck gets direct sunlight right around the time the neighbors end up coming over for cocktails so it might be nice to have it out there as a block but we'll see. I also bought a new umbrella for the table on the back deck. I'm liking the navy which will match the cushions on the new chairs. 

Jim just left to go back up to Columbus but he'll be home tonight. Since he'll most likely be late, I'll just have leftovers. Hopefully this will be his last trip up there for this job and work should get busier when May hits. Fingers crossed.

Nothing else is really happening here. I guess I'll get started with my jobs so I can relax this afternoon. I need to watch the newest episode of Last of Us and apparently someone pretty major gets killed off. Scared for Pedro/Joel. K - happy Monday! Later!

Rough Wakey Wakey

I slept well but I had a nightmare last night that has lingered and I just feel exhausted. In fact, when my alarm went off I thought No way can I get on the elliptical today! Again, it's not that I didn't sleep well but when I woke up from the nightmare (a serial killer had me) it took a rather long time for my adrenaline to chill out. If you've ever woken up with your blood just screaming through your veins, you know what I'm talking about. It was like all my appendages were filled with pins. It was awful. 

But then as I sat there sipping coffee and watching the news, Boo came up on my lap and stuck his tongue up my nose and I thought, Well, I have to get up and get him a treat and if I don't exercise now, I'll have to do it when I get home. So I powered through and I'm glad I did. As the school year comes to a close, though it gets harder and harder on a Friday to follow through on my routine. At this point, only 5 more. I can do that. 

Jim comes home today. He says he should be heading south by "no later than noon" but as we all know Jim, I'll believe it when I see it. I hope he's home by the time I get home but we'll see. What I should do is text him and say, "If you're home by 2:00 and can take care of the boys, we could meet at Shooters." That would set a fire under him but that doesn't always work and then he's disappointed when I won't meet him. 

I asked Jim what he wanted for dinner and he chose brats and metts. They didn't have brats at Aldi so I'll just cook up some of the metts I bought. I'll do a caprese salad with them and probably French fries. Easy. 

Testing was fine yesterday although this one kid was driving me nuts. He was literally was 1/2 hour from the end of the test (over 2 1/2 hours in) and still only had 5% complete. I was losing my mind as were many of the other kids that had finished in my room. That part though didn't make me mad because the kids weren't allowed their phones while anyone was still testing so they were dying and I loved it. I really really hope that we come up with a good cell phone policy for next year because these kids are so out of control.

Maggie, Charlie, Eva and Brooklyn are headed to PIB today! Charlie's taking his new boat up but I don't know that the water conditions will allow him to take it to the bay. Either way, safe travels! Have so much fun even though Muwee won't be there. 

And that's all I've got. Hot dog that I have a 3-day weekend which means, don't forget I won't be posting at my usual time Monday. Deal with it! K - Happy Friday! Happy weekend. Later!

Happy Heavenly Birthday Dad!

I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought of was Dad. It would have been his 88th birthday. I miss him and think of him all the time but I know that wherever he is now (although I feel him around me all the time) he's celebrating being free from pain and looking down at all he help to create in his family. Huppy Duppy, Dad. I love you. 

Lots of speculation going around at work regarding my principal. Some people think he won't be back after he leaves his position but based on everything out there it seems they're somehow going find a place for him. I swear to God if they create a position for that ass I'll lose my mind. You know they will though. 

I asked one of the VPs yesterday if he was going to go for the principal position and he said, "Hell no! I saw what it did for old so-and-so." I then asked if he thought his counterpart would go for it and at first he said "no" but then changed his answer to, "She's thinking about it." Which means, "yes". Fuck! My thoughts are she'll get it and here's why: She's a former cheerleader (was a Ben-Gal) and still has that peppy mentality (is it any wonder why she annoys the fuck out of me?). She will be the perfect poster child for the upcoming levy that's going on the ballot. She will be able to glad-hand those who need persuading. And maybe those are all good qualities in a candidate but having been under her "leadership" these past 2 years and experiencing her excessive supervision and need to have her hand in every freakin' pot, I just can't. 

I took a half day today for a couple reasons: A) why not? I'm only needed until 10:25 for testing B) I knew I wouldn't want to be at school on this day and C) Oh, and that doctor's appointment I have. After which I'll come home, get the dogs walked early and enjoy the lovely day it's supposed to be. The outdoor coffee table that I bought came yesterday so I'll put that together. Dinner tonight will be either a taco bowl or nachos. I've pretty much eaten all the leftovers (after lunch today) and I pulled some taco chicken makings from the freezer. Yummy.

And that's about all I've got. 

State Testing

On the one hand, the next two days are going to be so easy...for me. Not so much for the kids. State testing is stupid and it stresses the kids out, there's no point and it doesn't show shit. It doesn't even matter if you don't show proficiency because the state has opened up a million other paths to graduate. So yeah, sucks for kids but for me? I'm testing students in the morning both days which means I have to sit at my desk and get work done then in the afternoon, I've got no responsibilities. Tomorrow, I took a half day so by 9:55, I'm out. 

OOH! How did I not start with this!? So remember the meeting that was called unexpectedly yesterday morning? My principal is stepping down! Isn't that shit crazy!? He started the meeting saying, "I know a lot of you are going to be happy about this..." First, really dude?! That says more about you than the staff that's been burned and screwed by you. But anyway, he went on to say that his plans are to stay in the district teaching in an as yet to be determined position. Fuck, I hope it's not the high school. And it better not be some contrived position that they've created for him. As he continued rambling on in the meeting, he said, "Many of you probably noticed that I've been struggling these last couple months..." And those around me all chuckled because it's been more the last few YEARS that we'd noticed his cheese had slipped off his cracker. Dude has issues and I think that not only does he need to step down, but also up his meds and get some intense therapy going. 

So yeah, I'm happy that he's going but it also makes me nervous because careful what you wish for. Who knows? We could be putting in one asshole for another. And please, please, please, don't let it be one of our assistants that is a total micromanager. She's so ambitious and I'm sure she's jonesin' for a lead admin position but this isn't the place for her. Ugh! I need to retire. 

You'll be happy to hear that Scout had all his pep back in his step yesterday and he ate both last night and this morning. YAY! 

Dinner tonight: More leftovers which I'm fine with. I'll need to figure out what to cook Friday because I'm sure Jim will be dying for a home cooked meal. 

Okay that's all I've got. Best get a move on and get the boys back outside before I go. Happy Wednesday! Later!

In The Middle

I mean, I'm sure I'll be jonesin' for Jim to get home by the end of the week but sleeping in the middle of the bed is the best. Thankfully I slept mostly like a baby, which was much needed. Of course I woke up several times in the night (as I'm getting older, I've just had to come to accept that this is the norm) but was able to get right back to sleep. AND!!! I was awoken by my alarm. That almost never happens. 

In school news, my stupid admin called a morning meeting today. So fucking stupid. I'm sure whatever dumb shit he has to say could have been said in an email. To make matters worse, I also have a stupid fucking department meeting after school. Again, more stupid stuff. I'll be out the door as soon as I can leave so I can get home to the boys. 

You'll be happy to hear that the storms we got yesterday, late afternoon, were tame. Lots of rain and a bit of thunder but no wind to speak of. Of course it hit as I was leaving to go out to eat with some of my coworkers and Diane but right when I parked, or just before, the rain stopped so I could get into the restaurant. 

Dinner tonight: I'm definitely having leftovers, probably the lemon chicken I have. I'll have to cook up some rice or something and find a veggie to make with it. Ooh, or maybe I'll chop up the chicken and make a salad. Hmm...that sounds better. 

I haven't watched the first episode of The Last of Us, season 2 because I wanted to give my full attention to it and last night I was wiped. I'll probably watch tonight. I hope it doesn't give me nightmares. I did watch the final episode of White Lotus and all I'll say is I knew it, or rather part of it. I won't say more in case people out there are watching. Additionally, I finished the final episode for season 41 of Survivor. I've gone back to watch the season I didn't see and started with the first one after Covid. This is when they changed up the game. It was good and I was happy about who won. 

Scout is being a turkey. I can't get that little rat to eat. Jim got him to eat yesterday morning but since then, he'll only take treats. Of course. When I walked him yesterday and he pooped, there was grass in his doo doo which tells me he was definitely feeling puny. His spirits are good but I'm hoping by the time I get back home today, he's showing more pep in his step. 

Okay well, since it's just me, I need to make sure to get them out again and of course I can't miss the dumb fuck morning meeting. Ass. Happy Tuesday. Later!

29 Days

With no school next Monday and my personal day on the 16th, I have 29 days until I can put this year behind me. Oh, and I took a half day on Thursday so really it's 28 1/2! I can do that! 

The weekend was good. Jim and I did a fair amount of yard work but there still much more to do. I managed to mow where I could in the front and back yard. Jim tilled the side yard and laid grass seed. He also got a bunch of shit out to the curb from the basement but again, there's still a ton more for him to do down there. We did a lot of hanging out on the back deck this weekend which was quite lovely. I'm really enjoying what we did back there but you know who loves it more than me? The boys. They spend as much time as they can out there which makes me happy. 

Speaking of the boys, Scout is feeling puny. He hasn't eaten in about 36 hours and almost wouldn't take his special morning treat today. He was outside forever when I got up so maybe his stomach is sour. I'm sure part of the problem is he hasn't eaten...ugh. I hate it when he feels bad he's just so pitiful. 

The week at school will be wonky. Wednesday and Thursday we have state testing which means no classes on those days. I'm administering in the morning both days during the 1st testing block, which is why I took off Thursday afternoon. I should be able to get a lot done during that time. 

Jim's headed to Columbus for the week this morning. Hopefully this will only take a week and he'll be back home next week. He does have another painter joining him tomorrow so hopefully they'll be able to get everything done by Friday. 

Dinner tonight: A few of us from school and Diane are meeting at a local restaurant to catch up. It's going to be an early dinner - 4:30 - so I'll race home after school so I can get the boys walked and fed. Hopefully it won't be raining yet. 

And that's all I've got. Time to finish my routine and hit the road. Happy Monday. Hopefully this week will fly by and this time next week I'll hopefully still be in bed. Later!

Big Yard Plans

This is going to be the first non-rainy weekend in about a month which means: YARD WORK!!! I bought some aeration shoe attachments (see left) so that we can get the lawn looking good. Who knows if they'll work but they can't do any harm, right? Plus they were pretty cheap. We have a lot of areas that need seed still especially along the fence line plus we need to add more seed to the areas where the contractors destroyed the yard. It's definitely coming in but with all the rain we got last week, there are some patches that got waterlogged and need a boost. Along with all that, we'll mow where we can and Jim will treat the lawn with fertilizer as well as a sort of miracle grow treatment. 

It's obviously too early for any flowers but I'm getting plans in place and thinking about what I need for the deck. I can't wait until it's all in place and the temps are more consistent. We also have a couple of stumps that need to be burned out which will be a lengthy job. I can't wait until I look out into the yard, front and back, and see nothing but green. 

Thank the baby Jesus it's Friday. The week went by pretty quickly so I'm not mad about that. It's movie day in my academic classes (I'm starting an Agatha Christie movie in ELA and I'll try to figure out a WW2 movie for history since we're about to start that chapter. Maybe Indian Jones...the third one...it's my fave.) I have a phone meeting today at 10:00 which will hopefully only take 15 minutes. We'll see. It's for that kid who hasn't started yet and is apparently a pill. 

I almost didn't exercise this morning. I was just feeling lazy. But I managed to get on the elliptical and do the full 1/2 hour. I was only going to do 20 minutes, then I thought, Okay, I'll do 24 but once I reached that goal, I figured I could make the full 30, plus I was at the end of the 7th episode of White Lotus and didn't want to stop. I'm so happy I powered through. 

Dinner tonight: It's a leftover night. We have a ton of random stuff in the fridge and Jim's good with that. I'll make Detroit pizza tomorrow with a salad and who knows for Sunday. I'll need to make something that will make leftovers so I have stuff for the week. Maybe taco bowls. 

And that's all I've got. Guess I should get going so I can get this day done. Happy Friday! Happy weekend. Later!

Columbus Bound

This time it's not me that's bound for Columbus but Jim. He'll be working in Dublin starting Monday and will definitely be there through the week. It may be longer. I'm not mad about it because it's either that or nothing. The company he works for has little work for anyone until May. The job(s) in Columbus are going to Jim and another painter because they're the only ones without a "family". I guess I'm not family. Just kidding...I know they mean kids. Again, I'm not mad about it. It will suck a bit because walking the boys will be up to me but a little alone time is always welcome. I'm sure I'll be bitching about it in 2 weeks when he's still up there but in this economy, I'll take what Jim can get. 

Speaking of his company, the really sucky thing is this: They had a HUGE job with the Hammond North condos. However, due to a couple fires a couple years ago, there's a lawsuit and any work is on hold indefinitely. It not only sucks for Jim's company and the poor guy that was hired specifically to work there and will be put on unemployment or let go but the residents of the condos had to vacate even though their units were unaffected. What a bunch of horseshit. 

All of the above means that Jim's home again today. He did get a few hours in yesterday but only a few. I've told him that he better get some shit done around here, namely in the basement. He did take all his dozens partial paint cans down to Matthew 25 for donation the other day so that's something but I need more. I told him last night that when I get home today, I better see bags of garbage ready for the curb with a LOT of the junk he's managed to stow down there. It's so annoying. For instance, I went down there looking for something the other day and found a box with just literal garbage; crumpled paper towels, paint stirrers, junk. WTF!? It's infuriating.

Can I tell you I hate Wednesdays. Here's why: The kid that stinks - well, that doesn't clear it up does it since there are so many. The kid that stinks of piss (and I hate that word but pee just doesn't convey the stench) goes directly to work on Wednesday which means he doesn't change into clean clothes in the morning. So when he gets to school after work, he's in the stinky clothes that he wore in from home which have apparently been pissed in. It is so offensive. I just don't understand how he has a "job" when his stench is so awful. It may be that he changes into work clothes and then his home clothes after his shift. Ugh...I can't wait until he's not in my class anymore. Which is so mean but nothing has worked in trying to alleviate the problem. Not even telling him point blank that he reeks. Ugh. 

Dinner: Air fryer lemon chicken, broccoli and either couscous or rice. 

And that's all. I'm running a bit late so better mosey. TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!!!! Later!

Tooths

I'm getting my toothers cleaned today. That's really the only "exciting" thing that's happening here in the Hanke household. It always amazes me how quickly 6 months go by in between cleanings. Hopefully all will go well and I won't have any cavities. My appointment is at 2:40 (that's the last appointment they take for cleanings. Isn't that crazy?) which means I'll have to bolt from school as soon as the buses take off. My cleanings are usually really quick so I should be home before 4:00. 

So this is annoying/funny/annoying: I mentioned yesterday that a meeting popped up this week. It's a phone conference with the parents of the new student that's coming on my caseload. We need to chat about his current placement, expectations, behaviors etc. My department head came to me Monday saying we should do this and I said, "I'm happy to call and get the detes." My DH said he wanted to be a part of the meeting, if that was okay with me. Sure, whatever. So it was left to him to set this up. He emailed home and offered up Thursday or Friday. Mom replied saying either would work. My DH then emailed me to say, "Would you prefer Thursday or Friday?" I replied, "Thursday." And then I got the calendar evite...for Friday at 10:00. I mean, WTF? Why are you asking jackhole? Fuck your stupid face. And really, not that I really give a shit but I'd prefer NOT to meet on a Friday. Whatever. People are so stupid.

I woke up this morning and as I was heading downstairs, my right calf cramped up like a bitch! It hurt so bad. I don't know what happened...that never happens. You'll be happy to know I worked it out and all is well now. 

Dinner: Since I'll be home a little later than usual, I'll make BLTs...something easy that doesn't take a lot of prep. I'll probably make green beans with it and fries. Yummy.

I'm listening to a pretty good book: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. It's about an all-female boarding house in Washington, D.C., during the McCarthy era, where a group of women, including a mysterious widow, form a supper club and uncover secrets and danger as they navigate the era's paranoia. Pretty good. 

And that's all I've got. Guess I should mosey. Later!

Something New

The woman on whose channel I do most of my yoga recently got certified to instruct mat Pilates. This morning, I did her first, beginner video and I liked it. There were parts that were a bit challenging but most of it was pretty easy going for me. I'm attributing that to yoga. I will certainly continue with this hoping it strengthens my core, which is much needed. I'll search on Youtube today for some other instructors because my girl, currently only has one posted Pilates video. It's always nice to change things up a bit. 

I woke up this morning thinking it was Wednesday. That's going to screw up my whole week. I hate it when I do that. 

I mentioned yesterday that I don't have any meeting this week but of course something came up. I'm going to have to have a phone conference with the parents of the new kid coming to my caseload. There are a lot of screwy things with his IEP and where he was placed in his previous school so we need an understanding of what the expectation is. First of all, he was in an ED classroom (emotional disturbance), which we don't have. Second, he basically has an aide in all his gen ed classes which means we'd need to hire someone. I mean he's coming to school with 3 weeks left in the year. Are we supposed to hire someone for 3 weeks? And you know they aren't going to be qualified. Also, the parents supposedly moved from their previous district because they were not in agreement with what the school had put into place for his IEP. However, they signed and gave permission at the January IEP meeting. I'm guessing there's some miscommunication somewhere in all this mess. 

Dinner tonight: Although it's going to be pretty cold today, I'm going to grill a pork tenderloin. Something easy and relatively healthy. I also don't want to make leftovers because we have a lot in the fridge. 

Jim didn't work yesterday and won't again today. He's got an exterior job and it's too cold to do it. It's that time of year where it's slow and these things happen. The good part of it was he managed to go to the grocery for me and took care of some stuff around the house. I'll have a list of jobs for him today. He may actually have a list of his own but I need to make sure that doesn't entail moving shit in the garage or basement from one side to the other without really getting anything done. 

Okay well, time to get a move on. Happy Tuesday (wish it were Wednesday). Later!

Getting Harder

It's getting harder and harder to deal with Mondays. Not to beat a dead horse or sound like a broken record but these next several weeks (6?) are going to be really tough to get through. I need to do my best to keep my mind from spiraling into a chasm of dread. The way to do that will be to just keep my eye on the ball. Summer break is on the horizon and I can do this! I've done it before I just need to remember that this too shall pass and when May 23rd arrives, I'll have one more year under my belt. 

The weekend was a rainy mess. We were supposed to have friends over Saturday but with the weather and then Dan being sick, we decided to postpone. I wasn't mad about it. I still made the meal I had planned (French dip, crack green beans and potato salad) and Jim and I just ended up playing some games and watch basketball. Speaking of which, the loss of Duke put Jim out of any winnings and I'm pretty much done. I do have Florida winning in one of my brackets but even if they do, I don't have enough points to take over the people placed higher than I. Oh well...it was fun. 

Yesterday Jim and I of course went to Shooters. When we got up in the morning and I said to Jim, "What do you want to do today?" And Jim answered, "Poke the box with my finger." I said, "Excuse me?!" Hee hee. 

Nothing is going on at work this week. No meetings. No late nights. Hopefully no one annoying me. I'm starting a new book with the kids in ELA (And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie) and the kids in history will take a test this week. Oh, I do have a dentist appointment Wednesday after school. 

Dinner: I'll do something with chicken tonight. Maybe General Tso's with rice and broccoli. I need to make my menu when I get to school and then go to the grocery. 

The rain is just about out of here and we should be mostly dry for the next 10 days. There is rain forecasted for Wednesday but other than that, we're in the clear. Hopefully that means that the weekend will allow Jim and I to get our yard in some sort of shape. 

Okay well, I'd best get a move on. Happy Monday...fingers crossed this week flies by. Later!

Rain, Rain Go Away

I'm catching up on the sleep I lost night before last but I didn't sleep great last night. I slept pretty solidly until about 2:30 but then never really fell fully back to sleep. But today is Friday and I can get through this day easily knowing that I have the weekend ahead of me. Of course it's going to be nasty all weekend with record rainfall but at least it's the weekend. 

Speaking of rainfall, my sump pump is getting a workout and my backyard is a swamp. Thank the lord there's hay down so the dogs aren't tracking mud in. And looking at the 10 day forecast, I think there's only one day so far that has showers (Wednesday). Hopefully that will allow all this rain to be absorbed and I can finally seed the rest of the yard and mow those areas that have become overgrown. 

Have I mentioned that I hate Spring?

Last night was fine. If you'll recall it was senior night of service. We had 6 kids scheduled to present in our room and 5 showed up. We were done by 6:00 and I was home by 6:30. I have one more late night left for the school year (April 17th) but I won't be going to that. A) It's stupid. B) That's Dad's birthday and the last place I'll want to be is at school wasting my time and C) it's stupid. 

This weekend: We have a couple of friends coming over for dinner on Saturday (Dan and his gal Lisa). I'll make French dip sandwiches with crack green beans and maybe just fries. Or roasted potatoes. I haven't decided. I want to do something easy so we'll see. Maybe we'll play cards or just watch basketball or just hang. Who knows? Other than that, no plans. 

I have a new kid coming on my caseload. So stupid. I don't know a thing about the situation except that the kid is on the spectrum, he's pretty needy and he's not starting until April 30th. What the fuck!? I mean, is it a transition sort of thing? Is it a kid on scholarship that's coming to the high school? Did the family move? I don't know but 3 weeks before the end of the school year? That's just dumb. I'll read up on the detes today but this shit doesn't make me happy. 

Man oh man is our economy fucked! Yesterday's stock market crash as a result of trump's tariffs? That just cost the country 3 trillion dollars. Way to go douche bag. We went from an economy that was envied all over the world a year ago to one that is going to send a large percentage of Americans (the poorest already) into the shitter. a I haven't checked by I'm sure my money market account is in the crapper as well. Lets see how this plays out but so far so terrible. Just like everyone warned.

K - I'm out. It's raining like crazy so I need to possibly take an alternate way to work. Happy Friday. Happy weekend. Later!

High Anxiety

Currently it's 12:38 AM and I'm obviously up and having some pretty high anxiety. I don't think the weather here will be as bad as it was Sunday {knock on wood} but my brain is pounding from the anticipation, as is my heart. I managed to go to sleep around 8:00 and managed to stay asleep until 11:00. I'd hoped to sleep through the storms but alas Jim's snoring woke me up and truthfully I don't think I was sleeping very hard. The light show going on right now is crazy and the front still hasn't moved through. I'm on the couch in the family room and will probably bury my head in the covers when the brunt hits. Or maybe I'll hunker down in the bathroom. 

I ended up calling in for tomorrow which is why I'm posting now. I figured I'd try to occupy my mind plus I don't want to suffer the wrath of Maggie by not posting at my usual time. She does not like it when I don't post on her timeline. 

And here it come. I hear the rain picking up. The warning we're under is supposed to end at 1:30 but once the front is through, the winds should die down. Ugh. I hate this! I know I wouldn't have this anxiety if it weren't for the trees. 

Okay, I hunkered down in the bathroom and I think the high winds are now through. They were saying up to near 80 mpg of straight winds but truthfully, my fingers were in my ears so I didn't hear much. Jim's still upstairs sleeping as are the boys. I'm glad this doesn't bother them. And I think now I can breath a sigh of relief. I didn't hear any loud crashes so I think we're in the clear. Again, knock on wood.

In other news, I will go in to work today for the Senior Service Night. I need to be there around 4:00 and thankfully we only have students during the early presentations. I need to be there until 7:00ish but kids should be in and out long before then. We only have 6 kids presenting so that's a positive. 

I won't be making dinner tonight since I won't be home. We'll be fed at school for the service night, hopefully something good. They usually do Italian (Bravo's or something equivalent). 

And that's all I've got. I'm going to try and go get some sleep. My head is still pounding though. I hope I can sleep in tomorrow but even if I can't at least I can nap a bit. Thank the baby Jesus nothing horrible happened here. Later!

Teacher Fail

It's not that I'm thinking negatively rather I need to prep myself in anticipation for the weather that's on its way. Of course the storms are supposed to hit right around bedtime which means I won't sleep because I'll be tracking what's coming. And Jim's no help to me because he'll just snooze away and when I wake him up to tell him I'm scared he'll say, "It's fine." Which I guess should settle me but his lack of...concern? It makes me nuts because he says it between snores and that tells me he's not paying attention. I remember once when the sirens were going off and Jim was all like, "It's past us...we're fine." I mean what am I supposed to do with that. I'm in the basement and he's snoozing upstairs? C'mon Jim! 

Dinner tonight: I'm going to make a quiche (it's already made so I guess I should say I'm going to heat up a quiche) and I'm not sure what to serve with it. I was going to make a salad and maybe I still will but I'm not sure what kind. Maybe a spinach salad. 

Yesterday after I walked Scout I decided to get in the pool and exercise since it's probably the only day that I'll have to do that with what's coming. I have to say, it was a lovely workout. I managed to do a 1/2 hour switching between legs and arms and man I felt good afterward. All of that to say that I'm so glad we got the Bullfrog. It's so awesome. 

How terrible is it that yesterday when my Minecraft kid came to class I was elated that he was missing work? This meant that as he walked up to my desk to continue the (one-sided) conversation from Monday I was able to say, "Yo, Steve!" (Steve is a main character in Minecraft apparently) "You're missing a Biology assignment...get on it." That send him directly back to his desk where he remained occupied until he fell asleep. How terrible is it that I didn't wake him up right away? Ugh. Teacher fail. 

This morning when I turned on Cheers, it was the final episode with Diane (Shelley Long) which makes me so happy! I'm a much bigger fan of Rebecca (Kirstie Alley). Granted I didn't like Kirstie Alley's politics etc. but I'm able to separate the character from the person. 

Okay. Time to get a move on. Happy...ooh...Wednesday! (I started to type Tuesday) Later!

Preparing For The Deluge

Today is going to be the only day without rain. Ugh! Worse than that, tomorrow we're in the "enhanced" category for more storms, starting around 8:00 or 9:00. Worse even than that, between Thursday and Friday, the weather people are saying that our area is looking at an average of between 5 and 8 inches of rain. I mean, holy fuck!? My yard can't handle that. I guess I can say goodbye to all the seed that was laid. 

Have I mentioned that I hate spring? I mean sure, the flowers are pretty and it smells good and the warmer temps are nice but the rain? The storms? The fucking mud? I'd rather skip this shit. It's too much for my psyche. 

School was good yesterday. It was nice to come back to a brand new quarter where the kids aren't missing a ton of shit yet and I'm showing a movie in 2 of my 3 academic classes. The kids were fine, although this one kid...ugh...he's going to be the death of me. I really like him and I feel like he doesn't have a lot of friends nor a lot of people to talk to so when he stands at my desk (for 20 minutes) rambling on about the newest world released in Minecraft, I try and throw him a bone. It was tough going yesterday though because I'm not sure he showered during Spring Break and holy merde did he smell. It wasn't stinky boy body but this weird musty smell. Ugh. Why can't kids just fucking shower? I wish I could say, "Hey, stinkpot, you know, you may have more friends, other people to talk to and play Minecraft with if you just showered, I don't know, every other day? Every every other day would be an improvement. Please!" 

I slept so well last night. I woke up once but fell right back to sleep and then was actually awoken by my alarm. Felt so good. 

Ugh...it's April Fools Day. The PIB Gazette has a new one out there (every year they try to stump readers): Resort Planned for Oak Point. The detes are "Early renderings have been released for a NEW resort located at Oak Point State Park. Michale Ipucak, superintendent of the state parks, tells us the resort will be large enough to handle up to 500 guests. It will feature waterside cabanas, a new dock with floating cabanas, palm trees, artificial sand and a tiki hut. Michale tells us the floating cabanas will be a great source of revenue as they are considered temporary and not subject to bottom rights leases, which can be very costly. Check for progress on this resort in the coming months as construction is set to begin this month and be completed by Memorial Day 2025."

Hilarious. And if you don't know, Oak Point is basically a stone's throw from our house. If there were a resort there, I don't know if I'd ever go up there during peak months again. 

Dinner tonight: I think I'll just make fish and chips with some cole slaw. Something easy. Again, I'm trying to use the things I have in my fridge/freezer without having to go to the store...and spend more money. 

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Mostly though I want to get away from the TV which is currently tuned in to MSNBC where I can hear that fucks voice which ruins my day. Happy Tuesday. Later!