The Moon in My Back Yard

It started innocently enough. With this question, "If you got your tax return in the fall, would you spend it any differently?" This question was posed to me by someone who had a vested interest in what is the most commonly associated event with autumn - the falling of foliage in the yard. Now let me be clear, I am not afraid of yardwork. It's just that 6 months of raking does seem excessive. Not exaggerating...6 months.

The answer to the originally asked question is a resounding YES. I would pay to remove the offending trees from my back yard. Proceed to the solution. 10 estimates later, I have my tree removal guy and a removal date. As Tony and I talked dates and cost, he cautiously mentioned, "There will be some yard damage when we bring the Bobcat in here." I casually glanced at the random tufts of grass in my back yard and stated confidently, "I'm not too concerned about that. Just want the trees gone."

My wish was granted. 5 trees gone. And so is my yard. It's like a giant sandbox back there...literally. The dogs are confused - where did their grass go? As Tony says, it's like walking on the moon. Thick layers of fine powder...and no grass, no weeds, no green anything. A barren landscape with only the hammock trees to give it life.

Was it worth it? Definitely. Am I daunted by my next unforseen project of grass planting and raising? Certainly. Am I entertained by the fact that I get to walk on the moon in my own back yard? Unspeakably so. All in all, a truly memorable occasion.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

I have learned that it takes hard times for me to realize how blessed I really am, specifically with friendships where I can be who I really am. Where I don't think twice about wearing jeans and putting my hair in a ponytail. Where I can be silly, say something stupid, laugh about something frustrating, or cry about something overwhelming. Where I am listened to and heard. Where I am prayed for and encouraged. Where I am loved for who I am, not who I might be. I don't know how I would have made it through this last month without you - you have truly been witness to the good, the bad, and the ugly. I love you and thank you from the depths of my heart.

A necessary weekend

So here it is...Sunday afternoon. How do the weekends go by so quickly? Amazing really.

What a great weekend it was too: drinking coffee downtown, taking the dogs on a walk in the park, viewing We Are Marshall, buying a beautiful bridesmaid dress, touring select art studios, and even - brace yourself - cooking a few meals! Full and fun!

Weekends keep things balanced. Sometimes balanced in that it's the only time I have to do laundry - other times in that it's the only time I have to have fun. Regardless, Saturday and Sunday have a funny way of bringing things back into perspective and preparing me for another week doing what I love to do. I feel ready for a new week ... ready to face Monday as it bring its regular challenges and fatigue. What would I do without weekends?

nonsense

Do you ever get what you wanted and realize it's not what you thought? And then it ends and you know that the end is what needed to be? Even though it doesn't bring the relief you thought it would?

I did.

Do you ever look at what God has been and is and realize you are no longer the same? And then something happens to make you stop and look at what things really are? Even though it brings the pain and guilt you didn't think it would?

I did.

Saying goodbye to yesterday. Embracing today.

Back in business

After a healthy dose of family "guilt," I have decided to renew my blog entrying with a new resolve.

I just went home this past weekend to participate in a family-wide cleanup effort. The sisters were each responsible for their own rooms. Thanks to Dad, we were armed with dust masks as we tackled the years' accumulation of gray matter on and behind all our "treasured" objects. Some of the things we kept! Fish supplies for fish who met their demise long ago. Hand sanitizer that was a dark brown watery liquid. Apology notes from sisters that end with: Your friend (I hope). Rules explicitly outlining appropriate sister interactions in a car driven by a sister.

Truly an amusing and sentimental trip down memory lane (although it's dustier than I had imagined:)). How loved and cared for we all were. The depth of our family's committment and devotion to each other is both settling and rebuking at the same time. Especially as a teacher, I can personally vouch for the rarity of a family like mine. Something to be humbled by, really.

It's good to be back - thanks faithful blog checkers!

Cannibals

Sorry it's been so long...and no, I'm not going to bore you with the whys:).

We are doing a unit on animal life cycles in Science. Part of the kit we get includes live caterpillars and their food so we can watch them become chrysali and then butterflies. It's really amazing to see, and I'm so glad the kids can witness this beautiful transformation.

When we first get the caterpillars we put 2-3 in each little cup with food for them. During the chrysalis stage, they get moved to a butterfly box where we observe them briefly before releasing them. Each morning I come to school, I check the caterpillars to see what kind of progress they have made over night. Well, I look in Austin's cup. Yesterday he had 3, but now there are only 2 and a piece of one. I knew immediately what had happened - the 2 caterpillars had become cannibals. Now, to tell Austin the truth without traumatizing him. So I say, "Austin, I think one of your caterpillars is dead." (Really? Think? Just because there is a blood spattered midsection lying in the middle of the cup?) I proceed to say, "Remember that's why you got more than one, in case something happened to one of them." Austin seemed to take it pretty well. No tears, just confusion. I'm actually proud of him.

About 20 minutes later, Austin raises his hand and says, "I think the other caterpillars ate the dead one." Unfortunately, he is a pretty smart guy. At least he still thinks the caterpillar was already dead which isn't nearly as graphic as the truth.

I keep waiting for the animal rights activists to come and shut our operation down. It really does make me a bit quesy sometimes - what we do for education!

Snow day

Ahh...one of the simple pleasures of being in the school system...

SNOW DAYS

I woke up at 6 this morning to see if I needed to stay up or not. When I saw "Greenville County Schools - Closed" flash on the screen, a jolt of joy shot through me. Who doesn't like an unexpected vacation day?

Then I looked out our window over "the lagoon" to see huge, wet, brilliantly white snowflakes plummeting to the ground. As I watched, freezing rain started mixing in to create a glistening display of winter wonder. So I got about 6 blankets (no exaggeration) and moved my sleeping area to the couch. I opened the blinds and positioned my pillow so I could watch the unusual precipatory effect. Then to celebrate my snow day according to my timeless tradition, I fell asleep. Who could ask for a better start to a day?!

Fairy tale rewrite

This week in second grade (the way all good stories start:)), the miniature masterminds are writing fairy tales. Very amusing.

For example, Vincent writes,
"Then the mermaid girl dies. And they all live happily ever after."

I explained to him that having a good character die at the end of a fairy tale is not true to the genre and probably wouldn't aid in everyone else's happy existence.

Then there's Joi who wrote about "Snow White and the Seven Drawers." This led to a great vocabulary discussion about the minor differences between "drawers" and "dwarves."

Bet you've never read fairy tales like the ones I've been reading.