Thankful Sunday--March 13, 2016

I am thankful for a clean freezer.

Yesterday we defrosted and cleaned our freezer.  Luckily, our freezer doesn't accumulate frost very fast because we've been meaning to get around to this for a couple of years. Even though the freezer is not full, we did find a few good surprises--like some flour I had forgotten about. And the important part of the whole process is we put the freezer up on rollers. Now when we need to get behind it or have better access to the circuit box, it's just an easy roll to move the freezer out of the way.

So for a clean, easily movable freezer, and another job that can be crossed off the list, I am thankful.

Throwback Thursday--a self reminder

I used to do these Today posts fairly often as inspiration for myself. I realized as I looked through them, I miss them. Maybe I will start them again.

Today, I have a lot of different moving parts to my day, with many specific things that need to be accomplished. I could just start working in a frenzy and burn out before I'm done, or I can get a plan and use the "Slow and steady wins the race" method. I think I'll make this post a screen saver to help me remember that.
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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Today...

Today I am going to be organized

 and not run around in circles.

Some days are more productive than others and it usually involves being organized and having a plan. I have a plan, so I am not going to get dizzy trying to get things done today.

A Second Look--March 9, 2016

We've had the full range of spring weather this week from snow to temperatures in the 70's. The landscape is still mostly brown with spots of green here and there. Because of the warm weather and a new set of eyes, I especially enjoyed the Second Look this week. I did it with my reading buddy, Kimmy. Kimmy is a special needs girl, who lives next door, and comes over most days to read with me. Her household is oriented much more to the inside and electronics, so Kimmy is very cautious of the outside world. However, she was a very willing student as we walked around the yard and discovered things.

Here are a few things we saw this week 

during a Second Look.

We had about an inch of snow that was melted by the next day as the temperatures warmed up.

With the warm weather, Kimmy and I decided to take a walk around the yard. We started around the house looking for flowers. We found this crocus...

...and this pansy. This is one I planted last fall.

Then we looked at acorns and talked about how squirrels and other animals eat them. We also looked at the oak trees they come from. We have read several books about squirrels, so she could relate to this.

Also, we had just read a book the had pebbles as part of the story. This was a new word for her, so we went in search of pebbles. We found several around the base of a tree. We also found more acorns, eaten walnuts, and sweet gum balls. We looked at the size, shape and texture of each and where they came from, and then we made a collection. We found these things all around the yard, so it was fun for her to identify them again when she saw them.

One of the places we found eaten walnuts, was in the hollow of a tree. We talked about protection during the winter for animals, probably squirrels.

We also have evidence of deer all over the yard and we went in search of this. We started with the ubiquitous footprints.

We also looked at plants they had eaten. We compared the pointed tops to the flat tops to tell what the deer had been nibbling on. In addition, we looked at the different kinds of poop from deer--boy poop-more "log" like, girl poop-more pebble like. In fact, she used her new word and first called it pebbles. (No poop pictures this week. You're welcome.)

We watched the cows eat. For a while, she didn't believe there were cows behind our houses. That's what happens if you never look out the window or go outside.

We found a couple of clumps of snowdrops in the "wild" part of the yard. We compared buds and open flowers and looked inside the drooping blossom. I was running out of time, so we ended our walk for the day.

The next day after our books, she wanted to go on a walk again. She lead this one as she went looking for things we had seen the day before. The first thing we found were these white crocus.

We went along, looking at various plant and animal evidence when she asked about Wally and Theo's old tree house. She was afraid, but I encouraged her to go up. She was afraid to both climb up and climb down, but was very proud of herself for doing it. 

The floor of the tree house was littered with sticks and leaves. We made a game of throwing the sticks into the pile below us. She remembered from yesterday, that rabbits and other animals live in there and was happy to be helping to build their house. BTW, she has a good throwing arm.

As the weather warms, I am looking forward to doing more Second Looks with Kimmy. I think she is too.

Who Am I? Four things

Occasionally, one of those Who am I?  sets of questions makes the rounds in the blog world and yesterday, Anne at New Happenings at the Table  answered a set on her blog. She linked back to Slug Mama for the questions and encouraged others to answer them also. So for lack of something better to do (or should I say, for the lack of motivation to get up and clean the kitchen), I thought I'd take a stab at them. If you ask me these same questions tomorrow, my answers may change, but that's what makes life interesting (or confusing).

Four names I go by: Live and Learn, June, Mrs. Cleaver, and Hey You.

Four tunes I adore: Black Water by the Doobie Brothers, The Horse in Striped Pajamas by Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans,  Dear Abby by John Prine, and Spider's Web by Folktale.

Four things I hate: liver, assuming the worst, mouse droppings in the house, and being cold.


Four places I have worked: sheriff's office, preschool, oil company, science teacher            

Four things I love to watch: birds, toddlers misbehaving who aren't mine, Andy Griffith reruns, cats playing

Four places I have visited: Japan, Brussels, Guatemala, Canada  I consider that pretty good for someone who had only been in 3 states (including the one I lived in) and never on an airplane until I graduated college.

Four Things I love to eat: Chocolate, Utz potato chips, creamed chicken on mashed potatoes, and soft peppermints.

Four favorite drinks: iced tea, water, weak lemonade, water

Four favorite shows: Big Bang, I Love Lucy, Dancing with the Stars (yes, my dirty little secret), and the Drew Carey Show (I just recently found reruns of it. It is just plain silly.)


Four favorite plays: The Sound of Music, the King and I, Your a Good Man Charlie Brown (I was Snoopy in this in high school), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (I was Domina in this in college.)

Four things I am happily anticipating:  spring flowers, a get together with old friends, seeing my husband tonight after work, and finishing the book I'm reading.

Four things I am dreading: each party's nomination for the presidential election, political ads, more campaign name calling, deciding who to vote for in November 

Four items on my bucket list: more travel to the Rockies, I'm totally blank here, so make a bucket list

Four People I think will respond:  Anyone else who is avoiding a chore

                     Now copy this, paste this to your blog and fill in your                                              own answers.

Thankful Sunday--March 6, 2016

I am thankful for hand-me-downs.

Ward and I visited Theo yesterday afternoon and I smiled when I saw what he was wearing--a pair of faded blue jeans with the back pocket worn to the shape of a wallet. I smiled because they used to belong to my father. Most of my father's life, he wore Lee jeans and he always carried his wallet in his back pocket. These jeans suited his lifestyle of both hard outdoor work as a lineman and his active outdoor play as a gardener, hunter, and fisherman. He always had several pairs of Lee jeans in his dresser even when he was in the nursing home.

In the beginning, it was hard to see my father's clothes even when his grandson was wearing them. It just reminded me of my loss and made me sad. However, enough time has passed that that is no longer true. It makes me happy. And what makes me the happiest is that this is exactly the way my father would have wanted things to be--his grandson getting use from his hand-me-downs. So for these hand-me-down clothes from a grandfather to grandson, I am thankful.