The Median Sib

Okay.  I admit it.  I’m obsessive-compulsive at times.  Well, most of the time.  I just finished writing posts for the days that I’ll be gone to Alaska.  And my wonderful sister, Beth (Blue Star Chronicles) will post them for me each day.  I will be back in person on September 6th or 7th - depending on when I get around to logging on again after getting home.

That’s right. Today’s my birthday. Since I was born in 1949, that makes me (Can it be true?!) 57 years old today. Holy maroly! Just doesn’t seem possible. Time truly goes by much too quickly. Since I’ve done a birthday tribute to RT, each of my siblings, my mother, my two children and my two grandchildren on their respective birthdays, I figure I may as well finish up the family and do one for myself. So, without further ado, here’s my photo tribute to myself.

As a newborn

My first piano concert (also one of the last).

With my father and three of my siblings. Notice that this is the photo of me that was used for my blog header.

Appropriately decked out for my birthday a couple years ago.

Okay, that’s enough photos.

So Happy Birthday to me!

How have I celebrated my birthday? I’m not complaining, but ONE of my errands today was to buy underwear for RT. Of course I also had a manicure and pedicure, RT and I ate breakfast with some friends, and tonight we’ll go to a party for our pastor.  So far, so good.

Sorry that I haven’t been posting much lately.  My life is a little hectic, to say the least.

(1)  School started two weeks ago, and I’m busting my booty at school.  Even though I don’t have my own class of students, I’m giving reading assessments to kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, helping organize reading buddies, keeping the leveled book room and professional reading room up to par for the teachers’ use, writing the newsletter, and working on a couple of volunteer programs. Plus, the past week I’ve been getting things ready for my almost two-week absence.

(2) RT and I are leaving on Monday for our 10-day trip to Alaska.  We both have been busy working out all the arrangements for that - flights (a total of TEN flights in all!), lodging, fishing guides, car rentals.  And we had to plan alternate arrangements for some of the flights inside Alaska since the weather is a major factor this time of year. Three days of our time there will be as part of a photography group at Denali.  So we’ve also been busy getting cameras and photos ready for the trip.

(3) RT and I are getting married a week from tomorrow (September 2) in Denali - on the Alaskan tundra within view of Mount McKinley, and I’ve been also busting my booty getting things ready for that - picking out rings, re-sizing rings, picking up re-sized rings, deciding I didn’t like the original ring I selected (it didn’t look right with the engagement ring) and taking it back and picking out another one.  Making the arrangements for the marriage license and ceremony has taken quite a bit of work, too.  It’s going to be a very informal wedding - we’ll wear hiking clothes (packing space is at a premium) and we’ll be the only ones there except for the commissioner and maybe a couple witnesses which I think are required by law.  No reception or music or anything else.  So you wouldn’t think it would take much planning.  And I guess it hasn’t taken that much time - just making sure everything is handled to get the out of state marriage license, and we have to write our own vows since we won’t be using a set religious ceremony.

(4) It has been amazing how the story of our engagement and wedding has caught so many people’s interest.  I’ve had lots of people tell me that when they heard about it, it brought tears to their eyes, and I guess our story IS quite unusual.  My mother tells me I should write a book about it.  I don’t think it is THAT unusual, though.  Our story is a testament to “true love conquers all” . . . or something like that.

We’ll be back in town on September 6th - and soon after that maybe I can get back to regular blogging. In the meantime, keep coming back, and leave a few comments.  I don’t want to lose all 7 of my regular readers.

Last Thursday I wrote about wanting some no-sugar and low-fat ice cream recipes to make for our church’s ice cream get-together. I found a BUNCH of recipes, and ended up making two of them - with my own variations. They turned out REALLY delicious!

Here’s the first - my favorite:

Peach Ice Cream (no sugar recipe - however it ISN’T low fat)

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

1 1/2 cup Splenda

1 cup cold water

2 tsp unflavored gelatin

4 Tablespoons cornstach

4 cups crushed peaches (or 4 cups crushed strawberries)

Whisk together the evaporated milk, cream, whole milk, nonfat dry milk, and Splenda in a large mixing bowl. Stir well and set aside.

Stir gelatin and cornstarch together in a microwavable bowl. Pour the cold water into the gelatin and cornstarch mixture. Stir well using a small whisk until the mixture is very well blended and there are no visible lumps.

Microwave the gelatin mixture on high about 2 minutes, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds, or until a thick clear gel forms. Remove cooked mixture from microwave. Slowly add 1 cup of the ice cream base into the gelatin. Stir well, making sure the gelatin and cornstarch are evenly distributed and there are no visible lumps. Pour back into the remaining ice cream base and mix well.

Pour into an electric ice cream maker and follow the directions for freezing.

Orange Pineapple Sorbet (no fat and no sugar)

1 cup water

1 cup Splenda

4 cups orange juice

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 (20 ounce) cans crushed pineapple (in pineapple juice)

4 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

Stir the Splenda into the water and stir until it is completely dissolved.

In a blender or food processor, puree pineapple with its juice until smooth. Transfer to a metal bowl, and stir in the lemon juice, orange juice and orange zest.

Pour into an ice cream maker and follow the directions for freezing. This is a very refreshing dessert.

Yesterday, our EXTREMELY picky and power-crazed county finally approved our building plans and site and issued our much-sought-after building permit!

That calls for a MAJOR celebration because we have been working toward this moment since last December.  The biggest hurdle has been getting the soil mapping and septic systems approved.  Then on Tuesday they told us that since the house was next to a flood plain, we had to show on the plat the level of the building site.  The building site is on a high ridge which IS next to a flood plain.  However, there would have to be a flood akin to Noah’s in order for it to affect the house.  So the guy who did the soil mapping, wrote on the plat the level of the site. THEN, the folks at the county office told us that the bonus room counted as a bedroom, and that made too many bedrooms to be approved.  RT discovered that if the bonus room didn’t have a door, it wouldn’t be considered a bedroom.  Right then and there in the county office, he marked out the door on the plans and drew an arched doorway going into the bonus room.  Bingo!  One less bedroom - and THAT issue was solved satisfactorily.

The fact that we now have a building permit means that as soon as we get back from Alaska on September 7th, our builder can actually start building our house! 

Allowing 8 months to build the house, we could possibly move in sometime in April - and maybe even earlier.  It’s been a long process, but FINALLY we’re ready to begin the second best part of the process - the BEST part of the process will be when it’s finished and we move in.

I Wish That . . .

1.  I had a DELICIOUS no-sugar homemade ice cream recipe.

2.  I had a DELICIOUS low-fat homemade ice cream recipe.

3.  if I can’t find the recipes mentioned in #1 and #2 above that I hadn’t promised to make no-sugar and low-fat ice cream for our church’s ice cream social on Sunday.

4. all terrorists would become pacifists immediatel.y

5. if all terrorists can’t become immediate pacifists then that they’d all evaporate in thin air immediately

6. everyone would learn to respect people from other countries and cultures and religions

7. I weighed a lot less than I do.

8. I had more self-discipline.

9. RT’s and my new house was already built.

10.  my computer was faster.

11.  I could think on my feet better.

12.  I could talk with my father again.

13.  RT wasn’t out of town

After over 25 years of teaching elementary school, I’ve learned that former students pop up unexpectedly.  And recalling names is tricky, to say the least.

This past Sunday RT and I took the two granddaughters to a little community restaurant for lunch after church.  I was busy handling the girls and didn’t really pay much attention to the teenager who was refilling the trays on the buffet line.  Suddenly she said the words that strike fear in teachers’ hearts: “You were my fifth grade teacher.”

Other elementary teachers will understand that fear.  To the student, the teacher pretty much looks the same as he/she did back when.  However, teenagers and adults seldom look like they did in elementary school.  Sure, there are a few that you recognize immediately.  But most kids grow and change during adolescence and end up looking quite different than they did during their cute elementary stage.  The girl with bouncy pigtails becomes a teenager with a short punk hairstyle.  The skinny kid beefs up and becomes a muscular football player.

Back to Sunday lunch.  Upon hearing the words, I looked up at the girl.  Definitely high school age - long blondish hair, but with absolutely NO other “recognizability factors” for me.   Throughout the years that I taught fifth grade, I probably had dozens of blondish girls in my class.   She could have been any of them.  Jennifer?  Courtney?  Stacey?  Lisa?  It was no use - I couldn’t risk a guess.  “Hi,” I said, “Tell me your name.”

“Lindsey,” she replied.

BINGO!  God was smiling on me because I placed her immediately.  I had taught more than one Lindsey - but this could be only one of them.  Whew!  Kids expect former teachers to remember them.  I repeated her name and added her last name  - making sure to say her last name clearly so she’d know I knew who she was.  She was a student who came to our school new in fifth grade, and I spent a good chunk of time that year helping her settle into a new school and a new set of friends.  That transition is often a difficult one.

We chatted for a few minutes and she told me about being in high school and working at the restaurant on weekends and the activities she enjoys now.  After my family ate, we chatted more since by then she was working the cash register.  It was pleasant, and I still smile at the thought of how the little awkward fifth grader had grown into such a mature teenager.  

However, it also reminded me that I probably pass former students fairly often since I still live in the area where I’ve taught the past 19 years.   Kids I had in fourth grade back in 1987 are now 28 years old.  I probably wouldn’t recognize any of them.  And the third graders I taught back in Georgia in 1976 are now in their LATE thirties.  I remember Dexter and Allen - two little boys in that third grade class.  Such sweet and mischievous little boys who are grown men now.  I wonder what they’re doing and where they are.

I feel very old now.

Tonight’s the first time RT has been out of town overnight in over a month.  And guess what else is happening for the first time in about that long.  Yes, it’s a thunderstorm.

I’m not a fan of storms, although I’m trying very hard to change my attitude.  I dated a guy a few years ago who loved them.  He wanted to sit on the porch and watch them.  I, on the other hand, tended to want to hide under the bed with my fingers in my ears.  At least I never acted on that want - but I thought about it.

So, here I sit - by myself in the house - with lightning flashing and thunder booming around me. 

Blessing #1:  I had a meeting at the school’s central office at 1:00 today - and the topic of the meeting was something I am passionate about.

Blessing #2: The meeting only lasted two hours - and the time went quickly because it was interesting, the other people in the meeting were knowledgable and fun, and the meeting was well-managed.

Blessing #3 (and the best one):  Since the meeting only lasted two hours, that means that my work day was over at 3:00 p.m.  CELEBRATION!

Last week I wrote about a quotation that a friend had shared with me:

Life is a game in which you are juggling 5 balls.  The balls are called WORK, FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS, and INTEGRITY.  And you’re keeping all of them in the air.  But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  The other four balls - FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS, INTEGRITY - are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.  And once you truly understand the lesson of the 5 balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.

~From Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas  by James Patterson

I had read Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas before, but it had been a long time, and I couldn’t recall the storyline.  So I got another copy and just re-read it.  It’s a quickie book - only took a couple hours to read.  Such a good book with such a good message.  So, if you’ve never read the book - find a copy and read it. 

In thinking about the five balls, I realize that I do a pretty good job of balance in my life except for the health ball.  So, since all I’ve done since I got home from work is read that book, eat two sugar-free ice cream bars and then write this post, I’ll go get some exercise. 

I mentioned in an earlier post that RT and I have been going to counseling in order to work through the issues that led to our divorce nine years ago.  Today we “graduated.”  Our counselor told us that she felt we had made great progress and that we were very different from how we were when we first started talking to her a couple months ago.  And she is right.  Our relationship has changed tremendously - and for the better. 

We, of course, can make another appointment if anything ever comes up that we need help with.  However, it was very satisfying to have someone we both respect - who knows us and our relationship well, and who has heard the good and the bad - tell us that she feels our relationship is healthy and that the idea of a wedding in Alaska sounds perfect. 

Let’s hear a little “Pomp and Circumstance” for the graduates!

So now RT and I are talking about getting married when we’re in Alaska August 28 - Sept. 6.  Just thinking of it.  Guess I need to do some research about that.  Like, do we need to get a license in Alaska?  Who would officiate at the wedding?  And I’m not sure I want to mix the wedding in with the trip.  RT said that the “new frontier” of Alaska would fit with the “new frontier” of our second wedding.

Wow!  I just did a search, and there are all kinds of sites about weddings in Alaska - Alaskan glacier weddings,  Alaskan garden weddings . . .

I was surfing around some of my favorite teacher blogs and came upon this post writen by Graycie at Today’s Homework.  Here’s an exerpt:

My rule is that I don’t have to think about school (not in any practical way (messing around with my wiki and reading the thoughtful and intelligent words of all you ed bloggers counts as ‘fun’) until August 1st. Then I’ll figure out what day I have to go back, what day I’ll really go back to “check my room out” (read: start moving furniture and hanging wall stuff) . . .

That describes me almost perfectly this summer.  When I left school the end of May, I did not even think about school again in any substantial way until July 24th when I began six days of workshops - 4 days of writing and 2 days of coaching (academic - not athletic).  And yesterday I drove to my school and just looked around for about 15 minutes to decide how I would arrange the desks and bookshelves. 

After having a classroom all to myself for two years, I will have to share my room with the leveled book room and the teachers’ professional library.  Our school is growing and the two rooms that housed those items were needed. 

It will work out, though.  Before school was out, I drew a diagram of how everything should be.  Then during the summer when the work crews moved everything, they followed the diagram.  So my room is mostly set up - with just a little rearranging on my part.  The space for my reading groups was substantially reduced, but I’m still more fortunate than many of the other reading specialists in our school systems.  A couple of them have only a rolling cart or a closet to call home at their schools.  At least I have a room - and I don’t have to share it with another teacher - just with a lot of books.

So tomorrow (Sunday) is my last official day of summer vacation.  I will go to Sunday school and church, spend time with RT, maybe go to the farmers market to get some fresh tomatoes, and relax.  I will NOT think about school, though.  Monday will be here soon enough.

RT and I are discussing selling his house, buying an RV, trailer or motor home to put on the land to live in while we build the house.  Hmmmmm.  It’ll be spring before the new house is built.  As I write this, there is a crew over there digging the 4-foot deep trenches for the water and electricity lines.

If we follow that plan, we’d put most of our stuff in yet another storage unit (that would make THREE full storage units of our stuff), take just what we need to get us until spring, and then put the motor home/RV/trailer on the land and live there while the house is being built.  That would free up the money to pay for the house rather than having to take out a loan.  And the building site is a long way off the road - at the end of a 1/3 mile winding driveway that RT built.  So there wouldn’t be any danger of neighbors complaining - because no one could see it unless they drove to the end of the driveway.

I think it could be considered an adventure since there would be definite parameters of time.  i.e. You can handle most anything as long as you know there will be an end to it.  It would be nice to be over there because it is such a beautiful place.

So today I’m looking online at campers and RVs and motor homes and trailers - and thinking about being real-life trailer trash!  Yea!

The news has been depressing lately.  I was driving home after having lunch with RT, my daughter, my son and my daughter-in-law awhile ago, and I was listening to the news.  It was just too much.  I changed the channel to an easy listening station.  Today even Barry Manilow singing “I Can’t Smile Without You” was welcome.

Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has a post that expresses how I feel.  Sometimes I think we need a break from the conflicts in the world around us.  Sing to me, Barry.

I got my new camera - A Nikon D50 - and I’ve taken a BUNCH of photos.  However, I realized a little late that I did not have it set for automatic focus, and so most of the pictures were so out of focus I deleted them.  Here are four that survived the delete button…barely.

This first picture is of a hen turkey with two chicks (rather large chicks) who were in our front yard yesterday morning.

This next photo is of a deer who was on the hill behind our house Tuesday morning.  There were actually two deer and several turkeys - but they were too far apart to get all of them in the same photo.

And here, friends and neighbors, is the bane of my existence - poison ivy.  I took this photo last night when I was standing by this tree helping RT as he worked on the engine of the tractor.  I was VERY careful not to touch any of it.

And this is the second photo from last night.  Two blooming flowers - the background is one of the tractor tires.