A Good Tired Feeling

I have just taken a shower after 4 hours in the yard (or garden as the English call it), and I feel 'good' tired. I was thinking about what I would be doing at school at this time and am really content with my new life.

The guy who is working on Jon and Amy's yard --the one with the new swimming pool--is going to be pulling down my fence and putting up a new one. This will add 2 more feet to the width of the dog path. The weeds in the dead area between my yard and the Yanish's were kept at bay by landscaping cloth held down with bricks. I gathered up all of the bricks, put them in the nifty wagon that Collin and Denise bought me (I think for Mother's Day--I love those practical gifts!), and hauled them over to the place where I have stored bricks and cement blocks and 'stuff' that I may find a use for someday. While in the dead area I noticed the faux sumac in the corner that had grown to 10-12 feet--I started sawing and got most of it but will need Collin's help with the last 2 really tall and thick stalks. I then cut them up and tied them with the very handy dandy baling twine that Bruce (Dad) had found on the highway many years ago--this was without a doubt the best find he made.

Around 9 I had to stop and eat--2 poached eggs on toast.

Out in the yard again and to the south end of the fence where there are unwanted trees growing between my fence the the neighbors-I started hacking away on them, cutting them up into pieces that would fit in the yard bag and then hauled all of the bags to the end of the driveway.

I feel as though I accomplished something and am looking forward to getting this yard ready for the winter. My goal is to have a garden that is easy to take care of--I think I am doing way too much weeding.

I am off to Denver tomorrow and then leave on Friday for Savery with Katherine and Barkley.

Thank you Megan for helping me find this lost post!

Retirement 101

As of today I feel I am officially retired. This is the first day of school for students and I am happy to be home--not sad that I am not there on the first day of school, after 25 consecutive years in the Eaton District. (teaching approximently 600 students during those years)

I walked Barkley, ate breakfast while reading the newspaper, took a shower, talked with the nice landscaper working in the yard west of me, spent some time on the computer, talked with Megan, and had a nice visit with Katherine when she stopped by the house. And then it was time for lunch--pumpkin raisen bagel (from Portland) with peanut butter and a glass of soy milk. I watched The Daily Show and then read some more of the newspapers that I had missed.
I am thinking of this as a snow day --and I have 175 more of them until next summer.
It is now 2:00 and I am starting what I hope will be a consistent habit of writing down thoughts in this great blog that Megan set up for me. She tells me that I should write my thoughts down, my memories, my goals--that it will be good for me and good in case anyone else (grandchildren) might be interested.

I am always optimistic when I start something like this-do you know how many times I have started a journal on the 1st of January? More times than I would like to count.

Things I will not miss
* 15 minutes for lunch
* having to wait to pee until a break
* committee meetings "didn't we do this 5 years ago?"
* parents who have children who are never wrong
* administrators who know better than those in the 'trenches'

Things I will miss
*the school family --especially my team--our talks after school about nothing and everything
*the students who make me laugh, cry, and make me feel so wanted
*the creative parts of teaching
*taking the dog or dogs who are part of my life to school--and having the students bring their pets to school
*the music programs
*reading the books I love to students who really enjoy the stories
*the little child gifts--the flower picked from a neighbors yard, the 'recycled' gifts
*the hugs
*parents who thank me for my commitment to their child's education.


I know there are more but if I spend too much time on this I know that I will not keep this up.

I am now off to more reading--I really must get organized and have a plan for each day--but today I am just enjoying the beginning of the rest of my life.

Blogging lessons

I read a very good article in the Greeley paper that I want to send to the Smith and Moody family(about children). I could copy and mail, type over into an email or blog, or learn how to copy and paste things onto a blog.

I watched a very good video about KIVA and how it works lending money to those in mostly 3rd world countries. How do I share something like that.

I haven't read this blog as yet but it sounds interesting: cadyandpeter.blogspot.com--they are in the Peace Corps in Mongolia.

It is almost 11 AM and I still have not started working on school work that I must do today. This computer business takes a lot of time--good think I am retiring soon.

I am going to check out the Peace Corps blog before I leave the computer.

Thoughts on retirement

I have read many blogs but when it comes to writing one of my own I am very much intimidated. I am much more used to writing in note books or journals. In fact, I bought one this year and have been very faithful in writing everyday. I am starting to think about my life in retirement by listing places I would like to visit, things I would like to do and books I need to read.

Places: Alaska cruise up the coast, Churchill AK to see the polar bears, Wales and England, the east coast in the fall.

I will be able to spend more time with Dylan and Avery--that is a big plus.

I want to learn how to snow shoe-I want to volunteer at a dog rescue--Habitat for Humanity--there are so many places to help.

I need to get organized (my mantra for many years). I need to sort, discard, and generally get rid of 'stuff'. Over the holiday I cleaned off my desk at school so that I only have on it what I absolutely have to have and it has made me feel different-I would say lighter. I know in the house that when I have cleaned off the kitchen table or some other area I feel so much better. My problem is that it doesn't stay that way. But, I always have hope-I never give up the thought that I can become organized.

I have lists (in many places) of books I would like to read. I just need to find them. There's the organization again.

Test Post by Megan

Test post for Mom's new blog.