This morning when I got in the car to go to work, I found a note under the windshield wiper. Here it is:

Carol,
In The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran writes, “Work is love made visible.” Your work as a teacher, writer, cooker, and mostly as a wife and mother is truly an example of how love is made visible and beautiful. Thanks for how you make love visible. Good luck as you are evaluated today. Love, RT

Now, isn’t that the tenderest thing?!

I had my first evaluation a couple weeks ago. I won’t even start writing again about the paperwork involved. Just click here to read about it. Despite the paperwork, I got through it. I was never nervous about the observation itself. I was just ticked off at the amount of paperwork involved. The observation went well, and my principal was very positive about it.

Tomorrow will be the second observation. Our new assistant principal will do this one. He and I were both teachers at my previous school.

Words cannot express how LITTLE I have stressed out about this second observation. Another teacher showed me how I could access the forms online. I could then just type in my responses right there on the computer and print it out. That cut my paperwork time by at least 75% - probably more. I love to compose at the computer.

Tomorrow’s observation/evaluation will be of a lesson on making inferences with a second grade classroom. I’ll use Seven Blind Mice as my read-aloud. It’ll be fun. Maybe “fun” isn’t quite the right word. However, it will be tolerable and I’m not dreading it at all.

Despite all the “fun” and small amount of stress, I will celebrate when tomorrow’s observation and then the third observation are done - hopefully before Christmas - and I can put this cycle of evaluation behind me. Maybe I’ll retire before I have to go through it again.

On September 5th, I remarried R.T.  We had been married for 28 years and divorced for 9 years.  There are lots of positive things about remarrying my ex-husband.  Here are thirteen:

1. We have a shared history.
2. RT was my first and only true love. I love the man.
3. The kids don’t have to split up their holidays to accommodate visiting us separately.
4. The grandkids can visit us both at the same time.
5. It’s fun doing things with RT. We laugh a lot when we’re together. He has a funny sense of humor.
6. RT knows me better than anyone else in the world - and loves me anyway.
7. He’s the only person I’d want to grow old with.
8. He makes me feel young - even though he calls me “Grandma Carol” all the time. He loves the way the grandgirls say “Grandma Carol” and he tries to imitate them. It’s endearing . . .well except that in Alaska he referred to me by that name so much that one of the fishing guides started calling me “Grandma Carol” which was pushing it just a little too far!
9. I KNOW he’s as crazy about the grandkids as I am.
10. He’s a “get-it-done” person. The man can get more accomplished in one day than anyone I’ve ever seen. He’s the ultimate multi-tasker.
11. We share the same spiritual/religious background - we both grew up in the same church (United Methodist).
12. We have similar tastes in just about everything - recreation, food, furniture, to name three.
13. He’s still very romantic. I love cuddling with him.
 

In church this past Sunday, Pastor Tom’s sermon title was “What is Your Hymn?”  I’ve written about hymns before - here and here.   Growing up in a preacher’s family, hymns have always meant a lot to me.  I play the piano only a very little - but I can play more hymns than any other kind of music.  Hymns are some of the most beautiful and inspiring music in the world.

After Sunday’s sermon, I started thinking about which hymn “fits” what I want my life to be.  What is MY hymn? It’s a difficult question - a question with an answer that changes.

For today, I think God Will Take Care of You is the hymn that most reflects what I want my life to represent.

 God Will Take Care of YouBe not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you. RefrainGod will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you. RefrainAll you may need He will provide,
God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.RefrainNo matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.Refrain

So, what is YOUR hymn?

I noticed a discolored place on my toenail a few weeks ago.  I figured I must have bruised it somehow.  However, rather than getting better, the discoloration grew.  I kept it covered with nail polish for awhile - out of sight and out of mind. 

This morning I noticed that even nail polish could no longer hide it.  This was no bruise, and I knew of only one alternative.  The idea of fungus growing under my toenail sent shivers of disgust through me.  How gross!

So I called the doctor this afternoon on my way to a meeting.  She could fit me in if I drove there immediately.  I weighed my options:  attend a textbook adoption meeting or take care of my toe before it fell off.  I went to the doctor.  My principal will understand - I hope.

The doctor confirmed my diagnosis.  Yep, it was some kind of fungal infection - likely caused by getting pedicures, she said.   I love getting pedicures and having pretty toes.  So, yes, it figures it would be bad for me.  The place where I get my pedicures seems very careful to me - keeping everything sterilized and clean.  But what do I know?

The doctor prescribed Lamisil which I must take daily for three months.  She warned me that it was expensive, though, and that many insurance companies required that a culture be done to verify the need for it.  Their office couldn’t do the culture - I would have to go to a foot specialist if necessary.

I took the prescription and headed to the pharmacy to see if my insurance covered it.  I truly did not expect it to be covered.  I figured I’d have to make an appointment with a foot specialist, get a culture done (which sounds painful!) and then go through more red tape before finally getting the prescription.  By then my toenail would be much worse - it would probably spread to other toes - my whole foot would fall off. 

Amazingly enough, my insurance covered it - although my part was still over $60.  I asked the pharmacist how much the medicine would be if I didn’t have insurance, and I learned that 30 little Lamisil pills are OVER FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS!  Yes, you read that correctly. 

By the time I finish three months of this, I will have paid over $180, and that’s not counting what the doctor’s visit will cost.  Maybe I’ll do my own pedicures from now on.

Am I the only one that thinks it’s moronic to name the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” and the Monday after Thanksgiving “Cyber Monday”?  It sounds so idiotic, and all the news folk on TV and radio are so serious about it.

I posted the above photograph on November 9th - over two weeks ago.  This morning I FINALLY saw mention of this story on FOX news.  Has it been on the other major news networks?  I haven’t seen it.  Perhaps I missed it - probably not.  The MSM isn’t much interested in anything positive. Apparently their goal is to produce as much anti-American drivel as possible. 

Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt should make everyone in America proud of our Armed Services.  He’s home now - been home a couple months - and his wife says she’s not surprised at his actions in Iraq.  He was always able to comfort their own children when they were babies.

What is frustrating to me is that this picture is months old.  We get instant photos and news of anything negative happening in Iraq, but stories such as this - the stories that are truly representative of what our soldiers are doing over there - get little publicity, and the publicity they DO get is old news.

My nephew who is stationed in Baghdad, tells us about children living in trash dumps and looking forward to the treats of candy and other gifts the soldiers give them from the packages they receive from home.  Every single day our soldiers see the results of terrorism, and they’re fighting to save the Iraqui people from the even worse fate should we pack up and leave them to the whims of the terrorists.

I don’t understand how anyone who trashes our troops can live with his/her conscience.  Our troops are decent and hard-working men and women who are dealing with ruthless murderers whose only goal is to deal death and terror to everyone.  The fact of the matter is that the troop-bashers don’t have a conscience.

My sister, Joan, had a birthday on November 24th.  I was traveling and was unable to post a birthday greeting until today.  But I DID get to visit with her the day before her birthday (Thanksgiving Day). 

Click HERE to read last year’s birthday post, and click HERE and HERE to read other posts about Joan.  Happy belated birthday, Joanie.

True Story.  This happened recently in a first grade class taught by my niece who lives in another state.

They had been studying farms, and that day’s focus had been pigs.  They had read stories about pigs, they had drawn pictures of pigs, they had learned about products that come from pigs, and each child had written three sentences about pigs.

Later, as the class walked to lunch, Derek, a little boy with significant learning challenges, remarked to the teacher, “Mrs. Smith, I drew a cow!”

Mrs. Smith thought,  “We’ve been talking about pigs, but you drew a picture of a cow.  That’s just about par for the course.”  She smiled warmyly at him and said, “That’s great, Derek.  Tell me about your picture.”

With great enthusiasm, Derek said, “I drew a cow with a head and some spots, and. . . and . . . “  His little face frowned with thought as he searched for the right words.  Using a frantic circular motion with his hands he indicated his nether regions and said, “You know - I have one; cows have many!”

I just wonder about what’s going through his mind when he drinks milk.

Nothing too serious here. Simple rules. Copy and paste the list below. Highlight the things you have done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (One New Year’s Eve when I was single - yuk!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse (Once in Florida - no, wait I think that was dog racing - maybe not)
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster  (love them!)
35. Hit a home run (In my childhood)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (I feel that way right now)
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk (One of my amazing friends - see next item)
42. Had amazing friends  (Still do)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip  (Lots of them!)
48. Gone rock climbing (Well, it was rocky - don’t know if it really qualifies as OFFICIAL rock climbing, though)
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving (I almost did this - but changed my mind.  I should’ve done it because I’ve never had another opportunity)
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love  (Sad but true)
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (On a field trip to a farm once - as the teacher I HAD to do it - I wasn’t very successful)
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke  (badly)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football (In high school - a powder-puff football game - there’s a home movie of it somewhere)
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (I started it only - didn’t get it going, though)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (I’m counting home movies)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo (I actually went into a tattoo place and selected my tattoo - and then chickened out.  It’s so permanent!)
81. Rafted the Snake  (Great family vacation about 12 years ago)
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (In first grade I was the wicked witch in “Sleeping Beauty” - and the performance was on a stage)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (in one of those recording booths at an amusement park.  Somewhere there’s a tape of me singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.”)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane (not by myself - with my husband, the pilot, next to me - he let me “fly” it for a few minutes)
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart (I think I did - didn’t want to, but it happened anyway)
111. Helped an animal give birth  (I watched our dog Coco give birth many years ago - I guess I helped by making sure she had what she needed)
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (I don’t eat ANY mushrooms gathered anywhere)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (Hiked down about 100 feet - then came back up)
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days (It SEEMED like two days - but it was only a few hours)
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (Uh - several times - I’m a habitual student)
131. Parasailed (I almost did once - was talked out of it)
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I’ve watched my husband and son kill/field dress deer - and I’ve caught fish and watched others clean them)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream (I’m doing that right now)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (I was the driver - I wasn’t looking - I was seventeen years old)
150. Saved someone’s lifeI got this meme from Beth at Blue Star Chronicles.