Long Time, No See!

Yes, it's been a long time since I have posted anything. I have been up to my eyeballs in reflecting and writing for my graduate classes, so the idea of more reflecting for blog posts felt like a chore. Now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am graduating with my masters degree, it's time to return to occasional blogging to give you a glimpse of the ups and downs in my crazy life.

My Newest Pet

Add one more to my list of pets. I couldn't help myself. A former student of mine had a guinea pig that was pregnant and he wanted to know if I'd be interested in one of the babies for a class pet. After I thought about it, the idea seemed like a good one. What a great experience for my students, to learn the responsibility of taking care of a pet. I am finding that many of my students get pets, but aren't able to keep them very long because the parents don't want to deal with the responsibility. Sad.

I explained all this to Perry when I gave him the good news. He didn't exactly see it my way... as a means of teaching compassion for living things and responsible pet ownership to another generation. He just knew that another critter would be joining our household on weekends and school vacations. My husband's enthusiasm was underwhelming.

When the big day arrived and I went to get her, I brought her in the back door quietly and hurried into the next room to get her settled. I didn't expect a welcome from my dear husband for this little critter. Shortly after that, he appeared in the doorway to my work room explaining, "Well, I wasn't going to come see it, but I thought I might as well take a look." As I put Ginny in her cage and filled the food dish, he gave me a hug and remarked, " I guess you have to try one of everything, don't you."

Yep. Just call me Ellie Mae Clampett.

The Class Guinea Pig

One afternoon, while I was cleaning the guinea pig's cage, one student came up and asked, "What's that word you call her poop?"

"I call them droppings," I replied...wondering where this was going.

I bet WE have HUGE droppings, huh, Mrs. Byriel?

I had to agree.

Ice Days and Snow Days

Sigh. Today is snow day #8. We have had an unbelievable amount of school closings over the past two months. Some have been snow, some due to ice. I appreciated the first two, because the extra time helped me get ready for Christmas, but now hearing that school is cancelled again makes me cranky! Here are some ways I keep myself occupied during these dreary days.

1. Revise my lesson plans, again. Worry about my students' progress this year.

2. Watch the Today Show. Catch up on Meredith, Matt, Al and Ann along with the latest news. Turn the channel when they do another report on Tiger Woods.

3. Let the dogs out to potty. Feel sorry for them when they slide on the ice. Make a mental note to pick up the poopsickles later.

4. Check my email. Read about a sale on exercise equipment. Think about exercising.

5. Log on to Facebook and read a bunch of grumpy status updates from my teacher friends.

6. Vacuum. Wonder about the strange noise the motor is making.

7. Browse online for a new vacuum.

8. Watch Rachael Ray and feel inspired. Cook up a triple batch of casseroles for the freezer. Congratulate self on being so productive.

9. Think about research paper I should be writing for my masters program. Feel guilty.

10. Notice the puddles, slush, and ice chunks all over the garage. Sweep garage and forget about research paper.

11. Try to remember what science unit I'm teaching at school.

12. Feel lazy and crawl into bed with my dogs and a good book. Read awhile then take a nap.

13. Wake up and make a cup of tea. Look around the house for some chocolate.

14. Bake something with chocolate.

15. Think about research paper again. Look over notes. Feel anxious and uncertain about how to begin. Put notes away.

16. Watch Oprah. Marvel at how messed up some people's lives are.

17. Clean out 2 closets to prove I'm not a hoarder like the crazy people on Oprah.

18. Do laundry. Think about how tired I am of my clothes.

19. Shop online for sweater sales.

20. Make dinner. Decide what movie to watch since everything is cancelled tonight.

21. Look at pictures friends have posted on Facebook of the snowdrifts in their yards.

22. Try to remember the names of some of my students.

23.Watch The Biggest Loser. Consider exercising.

24. Make popcorn after the Biggest Loser is over. Watch another movie with the family.

25. Watch the news and say a prayer that the weather will be better so we can have school tomorrow.

Trading Cars

I try to be a good sport. While our oldest son was driving back and forth to Iowa City during Christmas break, I agreed to share my car. I drive a little blue Focus, and it gets wonderful gas mileage. With the Focus, the gas wouldn't cost so much and he would be able to spend more time at home in Boone between his work days. It seemed like a little thing-- to drive someone else's car for a few weeks.

But I'm a little-car kind of gal. My little Focus isn't fancy, but it just fits me. My car is like my purse and I love being able to know right where everything is without looking. The radio stations are programmed just the way I like them, I can punch in the code to my keyless entry without thinking, and the seat is always pushed clear forward the way it should be. Even driving around in snow is not a problem because that car is predictable.

Using the boys' Explorer is another story. I have to mentally recall the date of an important event in Hawkeye history to unlock it. Adjusting the seat takes me 8 tries before my feet properly reach the pedals. The radio controls are a mystery to me. When Ben had the system installed, I'm sure it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I can't figure out how to change the station without pulling over and parking first. Getting out of that vehicle reinforces the fact that it's just too big for me. I shouldn't have to aim my foot for the running board as I descend. I have a feeling me sliding down out of the car looked like something people wished they could capture on video.

The doors unlock, sometimes. Actually, it's just the driver's door that can be persnickety. Just getting in the car after some long days at school required me to climb in the back door and crawl between the seats. You'd think the storage in the back of a vehicle like that would be handy, but I usually forgot to check the contents before I went shopping. Lifting the door to load groceries at Fareway would often reveal something that made me roll my eyes and the carry-out boy snicker. Boys.

Now that it's mid-January, Joe is back in Iowa City with the Explorer and I have my little car back! Driving around town isn't easy this time of year, but at least there are no surprises.

This Christmas Was Brought to You By....

Snow days. I hate having to make up school in June, but any teacher who is a mom will tell you that a snow day in December is a blessing. That's the only reason many gals are able to get some holiday baking done, cards written, and gifts wrapped. We were stuck at home for two days during a whopper of a snowstorm, when I think the whole state of Iowa was closed. It was nice to be snug and safe at home, and I secretly said thank you prayers for the gift of time at home to prepare for the holidays.

Teaching full time and keeping up with family activities leaves little extra time for holiday preparations. Some days I stumble home from a crazy day in first grade with barely enough energy to throw some supper together. The weekends fly by in a flurry of all the jobs that didn't get done during the week. A day of Christmas shopping at the mall kept getting squeezed out by other pesky responsibilities like groceries, cleaning, and lesson planning.

About a week later, freezing rain brought another day off. I grumbled to myself at the way the school year was going to be extended, and activities at school would need to be rescheduled. Then I smiled to myself as I sat down at the computer, searched for online deals with free shipping, and nearly finished the Christmas shopping.

Yesterday was our first day of Christmas break. As I listened to the rain outside and watched it freeze on the tree branches, many school cancellations scrolled across the bottom of the tv screen. My heart was filled with sympathy for districts who would have a fourth day to make up. Then I wondered why any district would scheduled classes on December 23rd? I wanted to give the superintendents of those districts a head-thump. Those administrators obviously aren't the ones in the family responsible for the shopping, baking, wrapping necessary to "do" Christmas. I imagined hearing the thank you prayers of women all over Iowa yesterday as they reveled in a bonus day to bake some goodies with their kids or get the gifts wrapped and under the tree.

Jesus is the reason for the season, but the worker bees that are responsible for the festivities deserve some time to make it happen!

My First Thanksgiving

I'm forty-five years old and I just cooked my first turkey. It's about time, don't you think? This was a special thanksgiving for me. It was the first time we celebrated in our home and the grandparents came to us. Planning the details of the meal and getting the house ready added extra excitement to the holiday. I wasn't stressed about making the food. The grandmas were bringing pies, salad and rolls. Besides, my years of cooking mass quantities for football players made this event seem less daunting.

The only thing I wasn't sure about was the turkey. Since I had never cooked one before, it felt like a mysterious challenge to me. Maybe it was the literal size of the task. More likely, being up close and personal with a animal carcass was the reason I had avoided it over the years.

I did my homework and spent some time researching the easiest way to cook a turkey. I didn't really comprehend the benefits of soaking the bird in brine, and the the health related cautions about cooking the stuff inside the bird scared me off. I decided to keep things as simple as possible and use our electric roaster.

As I wrestled the bird into the sink, I questioned Perry's decision to buy a 21 pounder. I grabbed the sprayer, considered that cold, pimply-looking carcass, and wondered where to begin. The dogs sat at my feet, probably feeling relieved that someone else was getting a bath for a change. I washed it off, careful to lift its little wings and apologetically rinsed under the little armpits.

The cavity search just about did me in. I groped inside and shuddered as my hands closed around it's slimy neck. I chucked in the garbage in disgust, reconsidering my childhood thoughts of going vegetarian. I knew there was a little baggie of other unwanted "parts" but no matter how many times I plunged my hand back in there, my fingers couldn't locate it.

Finally, I gave up and hoisted the turkey into the roaster. I grabbed Perry's jar of "Butt Rub", a seasoning Perry uses when he smokes pork loin, and grimaced as I gave the bird one last massage. Just as I was closing the lid on the roaster, I spotted the corner of a little bag peeking out of the other end of the bird. Two openings to search...Who knew?

Shortly after that, it started to smell like Thanksgiving in our kitchen. Perry was especially concerned about how we'd know when the turkey was cooked. A couple hours later, we lifted the lid and saw that the bird was no longer intact. It had apparently fallen apart while it cooked. Perry pulled the drumstick which came off in his hand. As we lifted the turkey out of the roaster, it essentially carved itself. The red pop-up button thingy was floating in the juices at the bottom of the pan. I took that as a sure sign that the bird was done.

So, I survived my first attempt at turkey making. It didn't resemble anything from a Martha Stewart magazine cover, but it sure tasted good. It wasn't pretty, but we must have done something right.