After a nice, though tiring, weekend at Tracy's and Kate's, we drove back to the house on Memorial Day afternoon, opened up the windows to air the place out, and vegged! Now it's June...wow...can you believe it? The groundhog has eaten up my gerbenas AGAIN! By 1 pm, the dog and I are done with the heat and just lay around panting. My roses are blooming and the weeds are growing, so there is that to do. And Ken has the time to BBQ, saving me from the stove. What a guy!
Abby has finals next week and then 3 regents over the course of the following two weeks. We have yet to hear from the Summer FUNdamentals camp, so I have no idea of our schedule during July. Have to make arrangements for Hershey in August. Ken's Review course for his Nursing Boards are in two weeks, and then he has to sit for the NCLEX exam. Hopefully, he will do as well as Kate did (she passed on her first try). He then has a part-time position all set up in our local hospital to do Med/Surg for a few months...his ultimate goal is to go to the ER or ICU.
I am currently re-reading the Dragons of Pern books...love them! I also realize how often I re-read books I love. I have two Alison Weir books on my table by the bed and by the sofa, but those are a bit harder to get through...the Pern books are like a diversion, like watching a silly "I Love Lucy" show that I have seen a million times before. But books are like that...some you skip through, some you savor, others you slog through, and then there are those that leave you totally dissatisfied...like the latest "Law and Order" shows, where you go "Huh?" and wonder if this is why they were cancelled!
Happy June to all....especially those taking finals!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Summertime
As today's temp reached a balmy 89 degrees, and they are predicting over 92 tomorrow, I can see that, despite all my hopes, summer is a'comin'! For those who don't know me well, this is my LEAST favorite time of the year. I do not do well with humidity and heat...so global warming is gonna really suck!
That said, summertime does mean longer days, so one can still sit outside past 6 pm and appreciate all the hard work done in the garden these past few weeks. I miss playing cards outside with Kate and Abby...Abby seems to gravitate towards the swing these days (yep, 15 1/2 yrs. old and all of a sudden, the swing is a big thing!) or her basement bedroom and the WII or some such electronic device. So I sit with my old dog and watch the fireflies and see the bats start to fly by and then spray my hostas with Liquid Fence so the deer and groundhog don't eat them, and then I go inside and realize that it is way past my bedtime! Summer also means no really frantic days of school/ccd/meetings. Hopefully, Abby will have a counselor job at the summer camp in Newburgh, and after 6 weeks, we can just relax. Oh, and Hershey Park! That is our one get-away. Even though I do not ride the rollercoasters, it is a break that we all look forward to with great anticipation!!
While the airconditioner seems nice now, by August, I will have a love/hate relationship with it. My sinuses and eyes will have become dried out by it, and the noise will have driven me crazy...but I cannot stand the days without it. All my laundry and ironing must now be done way before 10 am, and the hours between 1 pm and 5 pm are spent in the darkened livingroom. In 8 weeks or less, I will be longing for autumn. But for now, summer is almost here.
That said, summertime does mean longer days, so one can still sit outside past 6 pm and appreciate all the hard work done in the garden these past few weeks. I miss playing cards outside with Kate and Abby...Abby seems to gravitate towards the swing these days (yep, 15 1/2 yrs. old and all of a sudden, the swing is a big thing!) or her basement bedroom and the WII or some such electronic device. So I sit with my old dog and watch the fireflies and see the bats start to fly by and then spray my hostas with Liquid Fence so the deer and groundhog don't eat them, and then I go inside and realize that it is way past my bedtime! Summer also means no really frantic days of school/ccd/meetings. Hopefully, Abby will have a counselor job at the summer camp in Newburgh, and after 6 weeks, we can just relax. Oh, and Hershey Park! That is our one get-away. Even though I do not ride the rollercoasters, it is a break that we all look forward to with great anticipation!!
While the airconditioner seems nice now, by August, I will have a love/hate relationship with it. My sinuses and eyes will have become dried out by it, and the noise will have driven me crazy...but I cannot stand the days without it. All my laundry and ironing must now be done way before 10 am, and the hours between 1 pm and 5 pm are spent in the darkened livingroom. In 8 weeks or less, I will be longing for autumn. But for now, summer is almost here.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Weekend plans
This weekend is Mother's Day and as my mom and my mother-in-law are both, hopefully, in Heaven, I will be spending the time at home with Abby and Ken. Well, Ken is working tonight and tomorrow night, from 6 pm to 6 am, so that means Church with Abby by myself and two nights alone. I thought once he passed Nursing School, things would calm down, but what do I know? Next week, he is gone Tues, Wed and Fri from 7a to 7p, following a RN's shift all week to complete his clinicals. So Sturbridge next weekend will be a delight...a "late" Mother's Day gift!
I recently looked through old letters and cards that the girls have given me. I don't keep many, because I lost some in the flood of '96, and I don't want to wind up on A&E TV as a Hoarder! But it is nice to remember the times when they were actually more excited about Mother's Day than I was...and the breakfasts in bed, with them jumping up and "helping" me open cards, presents and eating my meal! And then going to church and being so proud that I was a mom, after all that time trying to become one!
So, Happy Mother's Day to all those who are moms/grandmas/aunts/godmothers/etc. I hope the people you have touched in your life remember to give you a hug or a card or a call!
I recently looked through old letters and cards that the girls have given me. I don't keep many, because I lost some in the flood of '96, and I don't want to wind up on A&E TV as a Hoarder! But it is nice to remember the times when they were actually more excited about Mother's Day than I was...and the breakfasts in bed, with them jumping up and "helping" me open cards, presents and eating my meal! And then going to church and being so proud that I was a mom, after all that time trying to become one!
So, Happy Mother's Day to all those who are moms/grandmas/aunts/godmothers/etc. I hope the people you have touched in your life remember to give you a hug or a card or a call!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Religious Ed. classes
Today was the beginning of the end...my last "official" class of my Monday afternoon 6th grade CCD class. Next week, a party, hand out report cards, play a Jeopardy game of my own devising based on the curriculum, and then it is over! On this Wednesday, the last "official" class of my Wednesday afternoon 6th grade class...with a repeat of party next Wednesday.
As we move away from Easter and into softball/baseball/spring sport season, the kids become more anxious to leave class and hurry away. Even this measley hour spent with me seems to be too much for them. The overwhelming majority of both classes do not go to Mass, so this is the only moment for them to touch the Divine! As I did my review quiz with them today, I can see that the students did NOT absorb all that I struggled to give them. We still cannot get that there are Liturgical Seasons, and that Christmas is NOT preceded by Fall, but by Advent. And that the colors for Easter are NOT purple and yellow, but Gold and White. Let's not even discuss the Sacraments, which took over 2 months of my life with them...
The rewarding part of this job is when that one student asks me if I will be teaching 7th grade next year and can they get into my class? I keep telling myself that if I only reach ONE per year, if I just get ONE to pray a bit more, to go to Mass one more time, to think morally just once more, then I have done a good job. Not great, but good. Maybe some of them have had that "Oh ho!" moment, when something becomes clear for the first time. Maybe one of them will turn to prayer when life sucks. Or maybe I am just kidding myself...at this time of the year, I am disheartened and tired. The summer vacation seems to refresh me, and I will be back in September full of the Holy Spirit and new ideas. But in the meantime, there is registration in mid-May, teachers' meetings in June, the new book committee in late July and then book sales in August!!
As we move away from Easter and into softball/baseball/spring sport season, the kids become more anxious to leave class and hurry away. Even this measley hour spent with me seems to be too much for them. The overwhelming majority of both classes do not go to Mass, so this is the only moment for them to touch the Divine! As I did my review quiz with them today, I can see that the students did NOT absorb all that I struggled to give them. We still cannot get that there are Liturgical Seasons, and that Christmas is NOT preceded by Fall, but by Advent. And that the colors for Easter are NOT purple and yellow, but Gold and White. Let's not even discuss the Sacraments, which took over 2 months of my life with them...
The rewarding part of this job is when that one student asks me if I will be teaching 7th grade next year and can they get into my class? I keep telling myself that if I only reach ONE per year, if I just get ONE to pray a bit more, to go to Mass one more time, to think morally just once more, then I have done a good job. Not great, but good. Maybe some of them have had that "Oh ho!" moment, when something becomes clear for the first time. Maybe one of them will turn to prayer when life sucks. Or maybe I am just kidding myself...at this time of the year, I am disheartened and tired. The summer vacation seems to refresh me, and I will be back in September full of the Holy Spirit and new ideas. But in the meantime, there is registration in mid-May, teachers' meetings in June, the new book committee in late July and then book sales in August!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Countdown to June
I really hate this time of the year...as the school year winds down, everyone seems to realize that they have yet to give out enough assignments to my kid(s) and proceed to harry us all with the onslaught of such projects. Even Ken had a lab/project due in Nursing yesterday...his final exam is on Monday, the 26th, but then he has to do a week of following an RN around on his/her shift. Graduation should be May 22nd...cross your fingers!
And Abby has been hit with a huge project in Globish (Global and English) and a book report the following week for the same subject! Plus we have NYSSMA coming up (instrument review), service hours to be done, and three Regents to study for! Plus I have my two Religious Education classes to wind down, with both a final for each and a party to plan....yikes!
At least, Abby is organized and on top of things. Can't say the same for the bigger kid!
And Abby has been hit with a huge project in Globish (Global and English) and a book report the following week for the same subject! Plus we have NYSSMA coming up (instrument review), service hours to be done, and three Regents to study for! Plus I have my two Religious Education classes to wind down, with both a final for each and a party to plan....yikes!
At least, Abby is organized and on top of things. Can't say the same for the bigger kid!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
4/11/1982
Twenty-eight years ago today, I was in Southampton Hospital on Long Island recovering from a vaginal AND a c-section! We were now a family of four...twin girls, both with blonde hair and brown eyes. It was Easter Sunday and Ken was sitting next to my bed, nodding off, having been up for over 24 hours. My pains began during the Easter Vigil Mass and by 11 pm, we were on our way to the hospital (with a shower curtain in the back seat, just in case!) The girls were about 3 weeks early, but both were over 6 lbs. and, except for some bilirubin issues, did well. I came home on the 17th and it's been a whirlwind ever since.
So, to my two wonderful older daughters, Happy Birthday, many, many more and I love you both. I miss the baby years, the toddling times, the elementary school days, and yes, even the teenage years! You are now older than I was when I had you...hint, hint!!
So, to my two wonderful older daughters, Happy Birthday, many, many more and I love you both. I miss the baby years, the toddling times, the elementary school days, and yes, even the teenage years! You are now older than I was when I had you...hint, hint!!
Friday, April 9, 2010
New Home Ownership
Well, Kate and Tracy have now been homeowners for over 7 months. They have had to deal with leaky pipes, broken locks, crumbling steps, handrails on the deck missing, huge tree limbs ready to fall, and a multitude of other things...but today, they have a DEAD possum in their backyard! This far and away beats the mouse that they finally trapped in a sticky trap but was still alive, so Kate had to smash it with a rock!
Things could be worse. I think!
Things could be worse. I think!
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