Another Busy Week

It's been another busy week. I spent all day Sunday doing a year of the Birders scrapbook so we could display it at the Banquet on Tuesday. I subbed in fifth grade on Monday and Tuesday. Monday night I made a scrapbook page to frame with a poem in it. The four of us on the committee for the Birders Club Banquet decided one of the guys, Steve, deserved a special award because he has planned all the programs and field trips for ten years and done a great job. So we had my sister, Kay Reall, write a poem about him (she writes poems to order), and I printed it out and embellished it with bird stickers and pictures of him. We decorated after school on Tuesday, and the Banquet went very well. We had a catered meal and the food was delicious. This was the tenth anniversary of the Club.

Wednesday I was supposed to take Carson to a preschool program at the Nature Center, but Mandy called early that morning and said she had to cancel it because she was sick. So I had some free time. Went to lunch buffet at Pizza Hut with Jan. My editor for the Pioneer book called and went over the contract with me. He assured me I'll get the first half of the advance in 2006. That way half will be this year and half next. Better for income tax purposes, although it's not a huge amount. He said the book will be in all the big bookstores, and there is an escalating royalty clause, so I'll get more royalties after it sells 15,000 copies. I'm hoping to get more booksignings with it in bookstores. Also want to do more school visits. Paid ones!

Thursday I subbed in fourth grade. I started feeling like I was really getting a cold. By yesterday morning, I felt pretty bad, but I had agreed to do an author program on writing books for a friend's third grade class and two other classes. Just one presentation. I was losing my voice when I got to the end, but they were a great audience. They listened quietly and asked good questions. I didn't even get the usual three: How old are you? How much money do you make? Is it more fun to be an author than a teacher? I went and bought cold medicine and came home and went to bed. Steve called at 5:00 with a Bird Alert. He'd seen a Northern Shrike in his fence row. Regina and I went out on our way to dinner, but it flew as we were walking back to look through his scope and he couldn't locate it again. So we went on to dinner with Jan and Mary.

Don't you hate it when your nose is so plugged up you have to breathe through your mouth and your throat gets so dry it's sore? I finally found out if I slept on two foam wedges and two pillows (essentially sitting up) my nose would drain and I could breathe. I'm just staying home today and tomorrow, trying to get over this.

I'm busy baking cookies for Photo Club. We've been averaging about 75 people a meeting, so I need to make enough for 80. I'm making about eight kinds of cookies, including my famous sour cream cookies and my white chocolate-covered pretzels.

I also need to work on my students' ICL lessons.

Off to work!

Busy Week- Prairie Days, Photo Club and subbing

It's been a pretty busy week. Last weekend was our annual Prairie Days at the Darke County Parks Nature Center. I spent the whole weekend working in the gift shop. Saturday I wore a long prairie dress, but I got so hot with the long sleeves and high neck, that I just wore jeans and a nice shirt on Sunday. There were lots of cool things going on, but I didn't get to see any of them. Tours of the log house, apple-butter making, tours of the new sugar shack, guided walks, crafts, an art show, wagon rides, an antique tractor exhibit, and more.

On Monday, I went for volunteer training at the Nature Center. Robb, one of the naturalists, is training volunteers to lead school groups on hikes. Evelyn, Connie, Margaret, Autumn and I were there. Left early to go to Dee's dad's funeral, but I couldn't find it! I knew he was at Zechar's Funeral Home, but when I got there, no one was there. I figured it must be at their church, but didn't know where they went. Called Kay on the cell phone to see if she could look up the obit online. She wasn't home. By the time I came home and found out where it was (right out by the funeral home!) it was too late to go. So I just stayed home. Had dinner at Bob Evans with Marge and Regina.

Tuesday I had to sub in the afternoon in fifth grade math. Marge called and said she had fallen the night before and asked if I could take her to the doctor. I couldn't, because of the subbing. It went well, although I'm not up on 5th grade math. It's changed a lot since I taught 5th grade, twenty-some years ago. Went over to let Adam try to get a better picture for competition of the dog next door with one blue eye and one brown eye. It was hard, but he did get a good one, along with one of a Brutus Buckeye doll with big eyes and a clown with big sad eyes. That was a picture hanging on their wall. Came home, then went to his game. They lost. Heather and the babies were there, so I got some pictures.

Wednesday I subbed again in the afternoon at the same school, this time for sixth grade language arts. It was an easy day. Had to be there by 11, because you have to be there 31/2 hours to get paid for half a day. But she had a plan period next, then I had ten minutes duty in the hall outside the cafeteria, when I just talked to the kids and made sure they weren't rowdy, then 45 minutes for lunch. Then I had just one class! It was a double period, but there were only 18 in the class, and three were absent. Picked Adam up after school and we went to Farmer Brown's to eat, then to my house to print out his pictures. Did the clown in B&W and 11x16.

On Thursday I took Marge to the beauty shop. She has a big black eye, but she didn't break any bones in either wrist. The right one is swollen and she has a brace on it. Ate lunch at the Fairlawn with Woodland Heights retirees, then went back and picked Marge up. Did four ICL lessons and mailed them, then picked Adam up. Came home and Thelma was here waiting for us to go to Photo Club. I drove. Ate at Appleby's as usual, but no one else showed up. Went to Club. Adam got his first ribbon, and he really started out with a bang! His clown picture got a first place and it got 24 points out of a possible 27! Everyone was amazed that he was the one who took it! I got a second on a train picture from Quaker Square in Akron and HM on a close-up of a Cooper's hawk in Canada. Went to Rooster's afterwards, and there were over 20 there. Didn't get home until 2. Adam slept all the way home.

Overslept! I guess I set my alarm for 6:20 PM instead of AM! Woke up at 7:05, and Adam was supposed to be at the bus at 7:15! He got right up and dressed and brushed his teeth. Gave him applesauce and toast for breakfast, and we got to the Junior High at 7:20. The bus to take them to the high school wasn't there yet, so we were okay. I went to the Nature Center and Connie and I helped with and observed a hike with sixth graders from Franklin Monroe. Tonight we ate at Longfellow's Shadows restraurant. It's good. Then I picked up the babies from the ball diamond. Brandon had a doubleheader, and Heather didn't want them out after dark when it gets damp because of Madison's allergies. When I pulled into the parking lot, Madison clapped and yelled, "Yay!!!!" They were home by 9. Carson conked out on the couch about half an hour after I got them home.

So that's the week in review! I have nothing scheduled for all weekend! Plenty to do, but nothing scheduled.

Isn't New Year's in September?

Maybe it's because I was a teacher for so long, but September always seems to me like the beginning of a new year. Summer is over and it's back to school and work.



I'm subbing again this year, but my first day will be Tuesday. I'm subbing for one of my favorite sixth-grade teachers in Language Arts. It will be very interesting subbing this year, because the schools have been completely rearranged. Two elementary schools were closed and parents are having fits. Kindergarten, first and second grade are in one building, called Greenville Primary, third and fourth in another, called Greenville Intermediate, and fifth and sixth are in a building now called Greenville Middle School. This means a large percentage of the teachers and students have changed schools, so I'm anxious to see who's where and how it's all working out. The busing problems have been horrendous, and one child didn't get home till 7:00 on the first day of school.



This week I've been recuperating from my company and trying to break a non-sleeping cycle. I HATE that, but about every five or six months, I'll go four days or more without being able to get to sleep at night. That results in little sleep if I have to get up in the morning for any reason. This time it lasted a whole week. Last night I slept okay, so I'm hoping it's over for awhile. By yesterday, I was starting to feel a little lightheaded from lack of sleep. Part of the problem is that my degenerative disc is pressing on the sciatic nerve, and every time I lie down, my whole left leg aches. I went to the chiropractor yesterday, so I'm hoping that will help.



I managed to thoroughly enjoy my photo club meeting Thursday, though. Thelma drove, so I didn't have to worry about that. My 14-year-old nephew, Adam, joined last month and this was his first time to enter pictures in competition. I was disappointed that he didn't get any ribbons, but was pleased with the good scores his photos got. There were just too many great photos. We had 85 people at the meeting. I did well. I got first place in B&W Theme (theme was weather) with a picture of a tree in the snow, third in Color Theme with one of sun rays through the fog at the Smokies, and HM with one of a thistle covered with snow. It was from a slide, so I can't post it. The one from the Smokies is already on here, with the Smokies posts from early May. So I'll just put on the one that got first place.

I did finish the book proposal I was working on for a pioneer book and sent it in a week ago. I haven't heard anything yet, but really hope I'll get to do this book. I think it will be very interesting.

Tomorrow we have a Birders trip to a state park in Indiana, so I have to be up at 5:00. Guess I'll go to bed!

School's Out!

Well, school is out and I'm through subbing for the year. I've enjoyed it for the most part, but it will be nice to have more time.

I heard back from all three editors I e-mailed last week. Two wanted writing samples, which I sent, and the other wants me to submit a proposal and says he'll work with me on it. He's sending me another book in the series to pattern this book after. So that sounds quite promising!

I'm busy getting ready to go to my sister's on Wednesday night. I'll leave from Dayton after the Photo Club Board meeting, which will probably be over about 9. That will get me to her house about midnight. The next day we're going to Pennsylvania to spend a week scrapbooking with our friend, Becky. Our other friend, Karen, will join us there on Sunday and stay till Wednesday. So I'm sorting through all my stuff so there will be room in the van for my stuff and Kay's!

I'm also trying to go through the big plastic tubs where I put everything from the garage when I had it made into a family room. I'm trying to sort things and get them ready for a garage sale on June 23. Hopefully I can get rid of a lot of stuff and make some money for the Birders Virginia trip at the end of the month.

Thursday night was the Photo Club Banquet. I won a People's Choice Award for the Smokies photo of the sun rays streaming through the trees in the fog. They also gave me a funny award for being the person with the most colorful glasses! I got a huge pair of pink sunglasses, and a bag with four pair of Dollar Tree glasses (that's where I buy them!) Also got an award for amassing 750 Service Points to the club over the past 17 years. At the last board meeting, they made me go to the restroom while they decided what to get me. I was happily surprised to get a gift bag with two 2 gigabyte cards for my Canon digital Rebel XT! I can shoot forever without running out of cards!

Well, back to work on my sorting.