Left Overs, Pics

Here we are relaxing by the pool! The weather was spectacular! The company was even better.


One of my nieces wanted in the house, how could you say no to a face like that?

Cora, looking beautiful...as usual. Yes, I really DID get her to marry me!

Relaxing on the couch.

I taught sixth graders again. Guess what! I do again tomorrow, too! For some weird reason the sixth grade teachers like me. Tomorrow is for yet a different teacher. Today, I inadvertently got the class into trouble with the PE teacher. I took them to PE and suggested he have them run a couple of extra laps to get their energy out. He asked if they had been giving me problems. I, not necessarily being one to lie when given such a question, mentioned that I had made them put their heads down for about 5-7 minutes. They wouldn't shut up. It was a low rumble of voices and not one particular voice stood out. Also, it gave me a chance to get some of the sub instructions in order. The kids said the PE teacher was most displeased with them while they were at PE. On the brightside, they were perfect little angels after that.

Cora's Mom and Dad went fishing this last weekend. They were successful and gave us a half of a fish...OH, HOW I LOVE SALMON caught by my wonderful In-Laws! Cora made the glaze to put the salmon in and I started the BBQ. It took a while, but oh, the wait was well worth it! I apologize, I did not get a photo. It did not last long enough to take a picture of-we were both starving.

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I added some extra touches to the painting I have been working on...guess Cora makes dresses faster than I paint. Still, one step closer though!

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Tomorrow should be another nice day with the same great bunch of teachers!

Winding Down

Ah, the school year is winding down. I have been enjoying it, though the kids seem to be getting ever more wild and eager to get out of control. I had a pretty good day yesterday, my class was a good one! Still, you could see they wanted to do other things. Can't say as I blamed them much, I wanted to go outside, too.

It was when I was heading out for the day that I got the biggest compliment. A couple kids from the HS saw me in the hall as I was leaving. They asked me why I had not subbed for their teacher today. I said I was already taken and could not help it. They still protested that I should be subbing for them.

Well, the weather looks like it will be another good day! Ah Spring!! I can't wait to enjoy it tonight!!

Where to Begin? A Long Recount

Ok, so it has been several days since I last posted. We went to House Sit for the weekend. Cora took her computer, but I left my dinosaur behind. I checked my mail, but nothing else, it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend!!

Friday: I subbed my last of four days of music. I went home and got all our crap together, meaning I packed and did the dishes so we did not have any living organisms in the sink when we returned.

The trip was not bad. We dropped off the dogs at Cora's sister's house and went for some P.F. Chang's. We called it in and dropped by a grocery store for a bottle (or two) of wine. Dinner was excellent. We had Lettuce Wraps, Orange Peel Beef, Black Bean Chicken, and Sezchuan Asparagus. After letting dinner settle a smidgeon, we retired to the hot tub. Just to be perfectly honest, and unbiased...I HAVE TO GET ME ONE OF THOSE!! Afterword, we sat outside cooling off. The pool was still just a little chilly for our tastes...70 degrees.

Saturday: I awoke early (630am), despite a fairly late evening. I went downstairs and made coffee. I read my newest book: The Arnheiter Affair. It is a story of a Queeg-like captain (You should read the Caine Mutiny if you don't know who Queeg is...or wikipedia it) during the Vietnam War. He was SO idiosyncratic, narcissistic, and blind that he drove the crew near madness before he was relieved. He disobeyed orders, falsified reports, lied, stole, and was just downright a wannabe navy hero. The crew thought he was just a little different at first, but his true colors began to show, and within 99 days he was relieved. It is a most fascinating book.

Cora got up later and made breakfast! She made sausages and cinnimon rolls...do I know how to pick a wife or what!? We relaxed around the house for awhile and then got ready to go shopping. She needed to get a few things and I wanted a book. Well, I did get a book, but it wasn't the one I thought I'd get. I also ended up getting three shirts. These are shirts I expect will be very comfortable in Africa. They are a light cotton material that promises to dry quickly, plus they have loads of pockets. Cora also obtained some new additions to her wardrobe. For the record, we only really shop for clothing a couple times a year. I also bought a bargain book by an author I am fond of. I ended up buying the book I really wanted on Amazon at about 2/3rds the price I could have gotten in the store.

We went to lunch at Nothin' But Noodles. It was good. We returned to the house to check on the dogs, then returned to the mall for a litte more shopping and we watched Star Trek. Now there is a good movie! I might give something away here, so if you have not seen it yet, go to the next paragraph and I won't be hurt. I was intersted to see the back story of the crew. The original series never hinted at very much. This one starts with Kirk being born...interesting to be sure. Turns out this movie is actually a (This is your last warning if you don't want the movie ruined) different reality than the original series. This seems to indicate the writers don't want to interfere with the original plot lines and are free to make up their own new adventures. I am very happy with it. The humor was wonderful! At times side-splitting. I expect the coming batch of movies in the next decade will be something that Gene Rodenberry would have been proud of.

Now (yes, it is safe to read from here if you haven't seen the movie yet), if I were anything near what my long deceased best friend was, I would be able to give you a few quotes, verbatim, and have it mean something. Alas, I am NOT the genius that my late best friend was, I can only say, it is a movie worth seeing.

For dinner, after the movie and long day shopping, we decided on some pizza. Not just any pizza would do for us, however. We prefer Atomic Brewpub and Eatery pizza. It is not a big restaraunt, but it is a restaraunt with big taste! The beer is, well, excellent. Their pizza is spectacular! We have eaten there several times in the past couple years. Each time is a new exprience! I am especially fond of their Plutonium Porter. We had a Thai Peanut Chicken Pizza...it has real peanuts on it. It was delicious! Cora stayed with the dogs and I picked up the pizza. I asked the bartender how long a pizza took to bake. He said about 15 minutes...I said, "So, about the amount of time it would take me to drink a beer?" He said, two if you drink fast.

We had pizza and then relaxed in the hot tub again. Again, the pool remained just a wee bit more chilly than we were prepared to subject our anatomies to. We did sit out in the lawn chairs again and watch the stars. It was really nice. I wish our house was a bit different...I guess we should have been more prescient when we bought it nine years ago.

Sunday: We had no intention to leave the house, except perhaps to add a new touch to the house, which we did not do...but may in the future, even though Emily doesn't know what it is. I spent the day reading. My book was getting progressively better. Cora watched some of the Stargate SG1 episodes on DVD that I bought her for her birthday and she took a nap or two...I read my book in the shade as the temperture rose to the mid-eighties. I DID wade in the pool a bit, since it was so hot. Still, I was not done reading and so was reluctant to put the book down...and the pool was still cold.

We came home after Emily returned and I turned on my computer. I lucked out and got a job: Kinders today. It was fun, if a bit nerve-wracking. Seems each teacher has a different way with their kids and on different years: these were different from last year's kids. I enjoyed the day, nevertheless.

I came home and mowed the lawn...if you're counting, I mowed it on Thursday and it probably needed it again Saturday. I had put the mower back in the shed at a slight angle because I was too lazy to make sure it was flat...well, some oil had gotten into the cylinder and leaked out; it did not start right away. I finally got it going after I added some more oil...a bit too much, since it smoked the whole time.

I also mde dinner, a weird, quirky collection of Asian and American dishes: Steak and Fried Rice with griled sweet onions. I apologized to Cora, but she assured me in a Friends (remember the series?) way, quoting Joey all the way: "Steak? GOOD. Fried Rice? GOOD. Onions? GOOD!" You gotta love my wife's sense of humor.

So, tomorrow I sub for sixth graders. I will be teaching the older sister of one of the kinders I taught today...funny how things work out.

I hope all had a good weekend, too! Oh, yeah. It's been 28 years since the eruption of Mt. St. Helens! Which is a mountain I don't think Cora has ever seen...but, she will elaborate on that someday.

Fire

There is a brilliant "Rolling Stones'" song that includes the lyrics: "Don't play with me, 'cause you're playin' with fire." I just want to go on record that my Dad loses every chess game that he plays with me (O.k., maybe I let him have a couple to keep him going...). Here he is in the depths of loss! See his absolute depair? Sad, I know. I suppose I don't have to show the picture, but he does look a little dejected. Ah, the pleasure of putting him in his place! Wah ha ha ha ha!!!


Here is Toby, apparently tired! Look at the way he looks like he might be straight upright! He isn't, he's on his side. Pathetic. Ah, I love owning pets.



I subbed in music for the third day in a row. It was a pretty good! I have enjoyed it this week. The kids are actually really good. There are two classes that have had horrid times in music lately. Twice in a row! That's hard with me (I am usually too nice). Still, they did better today since their teachers had obviously threatened them. I was amused.

I mowed the lawn. I watered the garden and Cora worked on her dresses. I cut some BBQ pork and that is what we had for dinner, though Cora was going to make Friend Rice...turns out we weren't hungry after the pork...still, the fried rice will make a good meal on Sunday or Monday.

Is it Friday yet?

The Legend of the Headless Dog!

Once there was a canine, Jack Russell in breed,
a lap to lay on was his only real Need.



During the day, he raced across the lawn,
back and forth, since his people were gone.



They always came home, and would give him a dinner scrap,
and after that, there was, between the two, always an open lap.



Even if there wasn't, he would make himself a place,
he'd push the computer over and move in with grace.



One night he lay so still his owner thought he was dead,
it turns out, however, he'd just lost his head.

Yes, that's all I have.

Dibs on the Dibs

Sometimes you get that sweet tooth, you know? I have had a severe one lately. Usually, I can take or leave candy. More often I find leaving it to be the easiest thing. For the last week or so, though, I have been craving all things sweet. Last week was teacher appreciation week and they had laid out some mini-candy bars on the tables in the teachers' lounge. Normally I might have taken one. Last week, I must have had seven or eight before I pulled myself away from the table and then fought the urge to pocket several more.

We HAD a package of Oreos...I may or may not have been responsible for its sudden and somewhat violent passage from this life. It was all crumbs and milk, it wasn't a pretty sight.

There was Easter candy...a particularly large bag of chocolate eggs...that, too, is no more.

Tonight, Dibs. Dibs are those little chocolate covered drops of ice cream. Cora asked for a snack, my mind, in its current state, went strait to Dibs...weird, huh?

Oh, I re-began a painting tonight. I'd begun it last week, but had the wrong color, so we went in and got a better color this weekend. I think it will work if I can only decide how to orient it...

The rest of the week will be music for me!! At the El. I am pleased to have such a a full week lined up! No waiting next to the computer every night!! Plus the teachers are always so nice there!

Mother's Day Work

Yesterday we ended up buying a pine dresser for BB. It was unfinished, hence the price we paid. We deliberated for quite some time on what shade of stain to put on it (last time we painted them and we are still unhappy with that). Finally we decided on a darker stain. Cora's sister had suggested using a gel stain that you just wipe off with a rag. Since Cora was in charge of staining it, I let her decide. It turned out ok, but I think that having someone else do it would be a better alterntive.

While Cora worked, I put the last of the geraniums in th ground, put in a new soaker hose and killed some weeds. I also took some pictures of Cora working like a busy little bee.

We are both somewhat beat by our day of labor! I plan to BBQ/smoke a steak and make Cora a decent dinner. I hope everyone else has a good Mother's Day, and I also hope you will rest assured I am doing my best to make sure Cora is enjoying hers.