Vacation Ramblings
I'm thrilled to have had the whole day off today--a benefit of having had the teacher's convention this week, when going back to school only for the middle day of the week did not make sense. I started it off luxuriously, by sleeping in till 8:30. I can hardly ever do that. Even if I don't have to get up, I usually wake up and want to get up.
Hiromi did not fare so well last night. He informed me that my snoring kept him awake. I'm afraid I was insufficiently sympathetic, given the fact that when I came to bed last night he was already trumpeting along at a fairly high-decibel level. Actually neither of us usually snores enough for it to be a problem for the other at all. It's when there is just a touch of congestion or sleeping in certain positions that the breathing noise erupts. I've been known to wake myself up when I snore. Not this time.
****************
Twice in the last few days my Mom ended up on the floor, and help had to be called in to get her up. Once it was during the night, and she fell out of bed while trying to get up. Linda could not get her up alone, and Dad can't help, since his broken leg won't allow him to stand without support. She called Shane, and that good man got up around 3:00 and drove to Partridge to help his grandmother back into bed.
Today I did the helping honors. Mom was sitting down to lunch, and didn't sit back quite far enough in the chair, sinking gently to the floor in front of the chair instead. Linda and I got her up, with her feet braced against the "leg board" of the kitchen peninsula to provide leverage.
The good news is that she seems none-the-worse for these mishaps.
****************
Here is a status update I put on Facebook today:
I can now count myself among the fortunate Partridge-area residents who have had a visit from a companionable Roadrunner. He was in the front yard when I pulled into the parking spot near the house early this afternoon. He ran along several sides of the house, and I sneaked inside when he rounded a corner that took him out of my sight. From inside the house, I saw him very close-up several times. What a treat!
Only once before have I seen one--I think. That was decades ago, and I saw it running ahead of me on Clark Road, just west of Partridge Road. Others saw a Roadrunner or two around Partridge last summer, but I had never seen those. They're such funny birds--just right for a comic strip character.
*****************
Our cat is a mighty hunter. Twice she/he has showed up with a dead rabbit. One was fairly small and the second one was full-sized. I didn't know cats could kill full-grown rabbits.
*****************
I'm making dressing balls for our family Thanksgiving dinner instead of the usual dressing in a pan. I've never done this before, but the trial run turned out nicely. Each ball uses 1/2 cup of dressing, and is placed on a cookie sheet for baking.
*****************
I really enjoyed the teacher's convention in Wichita on Monday and Tuesday. Today I finished writing the summary/notes the school board asked for. I have a feeling they might be sorry they asked for mine. Too long. Writing it benefited me greatly, however, so all is not lost.
One encounter at the meeting still puzzles me. A lady I did not recognize happily greeted me by name and said she had already talked to Wesley, our principal, and she had seen the others from Pilgrim, although she couldn't remember the names of some of the younger ones. I still have no idea who she was. I'm not the greatest at remembering faces, but I'm really feeling the need for some explanatory context here, or the mystery will bug me for a long time, I'm afraid.
******************
Our bird feeders have attracted a plethora of house sparrows and not enough other interesting birds, so far. Today I saw several goldfinches again, and I've seen a cardinal, red-bellied woodpecker, house finches, and juncos nearby.
The birds seem not at all afraid to feed with the cat safely inside her "house" very close by. I think they can't see her. The good news is that she couldn't possibly pounce on a bird without making a huge commotion getting out of the house first, so she doesn't pose any danger.
******************
Dad went to church for the first time on Sunday, three weeks and two days after the car accident. He used a walker.
They also acquired a car last week, just like the wrecked one, except that it has fewer miles and is white instead of champagne (?).
******************
Lowell, David, and Larry have returned from India, and the Ellis Miller family and John Yoder family have returned from their far-flung residences. Misael and Regina and their family plan to arrive after Thanksgiving.
******************
Wendell Nisly is leading the singing/scripture reading at our Thanksgiving service tomorrow. A lot of former Pilgrim students and some Oasis singers will find this a familiar experience.
******************
A shout out to former composition class students--my own and others--What parts of the class seem the most valuable to you now? Or what would you have liked to do that you were unable to do?
******************
After we returned from the teacher's convention, I dutifully took it upon myself to water the plants at school since I knew that no student would be there to do the watering job as usual. To my surprise, the watering had been done. If the person who did it is reading this--a big thank you to you. If you know who did it, I'd be glad to know it and thank them personally.
******************
Shane now has a live Rock Rentals website. If you decide to look up the site, be sure to look at the "meet the team" section under the "about us" tab.
******************
Grant has done some pretty impressive work in fabricating 1/64th-scale John Deere equipment as add-ons to Ertl scale models. His employer owns equipment like this, and Grant uses it a lot and apparently memorized many of the details sufficiently to copy them painstakingly. The toys belong to Wyatt of course. Cough cough.
******************
Vernon and Grace Miller had a new baby last week--a girl named Eden, according to her uncle Wesley, who is a sophomore at our school. I forget the middle name. Sorry.
*****************
Brandon and Holli are getting married this Saturday. They are both former students, and both have siblings still at our school.
Brandon's mother is our neighbor and a wonderful household helper for me several hours a week. Because the lady who lived here as our tenant taught piano lessons, Brandon often came here for lessons before we moved back here. Later, when he was in my food production class, he planted his garden here. Also, the Nislys often did mowing here in exchange for piano lessons. For never having actually lived here, they know this place inside and out.
*****************
We have a gyoza-making date with the Jonathan Wenger family and some friends on a Saturday soon. That should be fun. We had a delightful feast of Japanese food there last summer, along with kinilaw, a Philippine food prepared by Tonya Martin-Nisly. The Martin-Nisly family was present that time. They were our neighbors at the time. We've both moved since then.
Hiromi did not fare so well last night. He informed me that my snoring kept him awake. I'm afraid I was insufficiently sympathetic, given the fact that when I came to bed last night he was already trumpeting along at a fairly high-decibel level. Actually neither of us usually snores enough for it to be a problem for the other at all. It's when there is just a touch of congestion or sleeping in certain positions that the breathing noise erupts. I've been known to wake myself up when I snore. Not this time.
****************
Twice in the last few days my Mom ended up on the floor, and help had to be called in to get her up. Once it was during the night, and she fell out of bed while trying to get up. Linda could not get her up alone, and Dad can't help, since his broken leg won't allow him to stand without support. She called Shane, and that good man got up around 3:00 and drove to Partridge to help his grandmother back into bed.
Today I did the helping honors. Mom was sitting down to lunch, and didn't sit back quite far enough in the chair, sinking gently to the floor in front of the chair instead. Linda and I got her up, with her feet braced against the "leg board" of the kitchen peninsula to provide leverage.
The good news is that she seems none-the-worse for these mishaps.
****************
Here is a status update I put on Facebook today:
I can now count myself among the fortunate Partridge-area residents who have had a visit from a companionable Roadrunner. He was in the front yard when I pulled into the parking spot near the house early this afternoon. He ran along several sides of the house, and I sneaked inside when he rounded a corner that took him out of my sight. From inside the house, I saw him very close-up several times. What a treat!
Only once before have I seen one--I think. That was decades ago, and I saw it running ahead of me on Clark Road, just west of Partridge Road. Others saw a Roadrunner or two around Partridge last summer, but I had never seen those. They're such funny birds--just right for a comic strip character.
*****************
Our cat is a mighty hunter. Twice she/he has showed up with a dead rabbit. One was fairly small and the second one was full-sized. I didn't know cats could kill full-grown rabbits.
*****************
I'm making dressing balls for our family Thanksgiving dinner instead of the usual dressing in a pan. I've never done this before, but the trial run turned out nicely. Each ball uses 1/2 cup of dressing, and is placed on a cookie sheet for baking.
*****************
I really enjoyed the teacher's convention in Wichita on Monday and Tuesday. Today I finished writing the summary/notes the school board asked for. I have a feeling they might be sorry they asked for mine. Too long. Writing it benefited me greatly, however, so all is not lost.
One encounter at the meeting still puzzles me. A lady I did not recognize happily greeted me by name and said she had already talked to Wesley, our principal, and she had seen the others from Pilgrim, although she couldn't remember the names of some of the younger ones. I still have no idea who she was. I'm not the greatest at remembering faces, but I'm really feeling the need for some explanatory context here, or the mystery will bug me for a long time, I'm afraid.
******************
Our bird feeders have attracted a plethora of house sparrows and not enough other interesting birds, so far. Today I saw several goldfinches again, and I've seen a cardinal, red-bellied woodpecker, house finches, and juncos nearby.
The birds seem not at all afraid to feed with the cat safely inside her "house" very close by. I think they can't see her. The good news is that she couldn't possibly pounce on a bird without making a huge commotion getting out of the house first, so she doesn't pose any danger.
******************
Dad went to church for the first time on Sunday, three weeks and two days after the car accident. He used a walker.
They also acquired a car last week, just like the wrecked one, except that it has fewer miles and is white instead of champagne (?).
******************
Lowell, David, and Larry have returned from India, and the Ellis Miller family and John Yoder family have returned from their far-flung residences. Misael and Regina and their family plan to arrive after Thanksgiving.
******************
Wendell Nisly is leading the singing/scripture reading at our Thanksgiving service tomorrow. A lot of former Pilgrim students and some Oasis singers will find this a familiar experience.
******************
A shout out to former composition class students--my own and others--What parts of the class seem the most valuable to you now? Or what would you have liked to do that you were unable to do?
******************
After we returned from the teacher's convention, I dutifully took it upon myself to water the plants at school since I knew that no student would be there to do the watering job as usual. To my surprise, the watering had been done. If the person who did it is reading this--a big thank you to you. If you know who did it, I'd be glad to know it and thank them personally.
******************
Shane now has a live Rock Rentals website. If you decide to look up the site, be sure to look at the "meet the team" section under the "about us" tab.
******************
Grant has done some pretty impressive work in fabricating 1/64th-scale John Deere equipment as add-ons to Ertl scale models. His employer owns equipment like this, and Grant uses it a lot and apparently memorized many of the details sufficiently to copy them painstakingly. The toys belong to Wyatt of course. Cough cough.
******************
Vernon and Grace Miller had a new baby last week--a girl named Eden, according to her uncle Wesley, who is a sophomore at our school. I forget the middle name. Sorry.
*****************
Brandon and Holli are getting married this Saturday. They are both former students, and both have siblings still at our school.
Brandon's mother is our neighbor and a wonderful household helper for me several hours a week. Because the lady who lived here as our tenant taught piano lessons, Brandon often came here for lessons before we moved back here. Later, when he was in my food production class, he planted his garden here. Also, the Nislys often did mowing here in exchange for piano lessons. For never having actually lived here, they know this place inside and out.
*****************
We have a gyoza-making date with the Jonathan Wenger family and some friends on a Saturday soon. That should be fun. We had a delightful feast of Japanese food there last summer, along with kinilaw, a Philippine food prepared by Tonya Martin-Nisly. The Martin-Nisly family was present that time. They were our neighbors at the time. We've both moved since then.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
8:46 PM
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