Wierd weather

Isn't it strange when the weather is in the 90's one day and the next it's 20 degrees cooler. Back to temps you expect for April.

I made a donation to the American Cancer Society during daffodil days and the checks were lost . One was from my dentist $20. Now they say they don't have the checks and want me to go back to her and ask her to write another to the person who paid the 30 dollars for us. I gave her another check from me but I'm embarrassed to go back to my dentist and ask her to see if the first check was cashed and write another one to this retired teacher.
She comes here a lot to sub for 6th grade that she used to teach.

Well I called. We will see what she says. I go in for cleaning 5/6.

Today I applied for a migrant ed summer school position. I don't really know what that is but we'll see. weird

The Internet says it's about keeping migrant children education regardless of their traveling as migratory famlies follow the crops. I knew that. I'd want to do the higher grades but they have 1-3 too.

fresh pea soup

I got some spring pea soup from the farmers market and tried it and thought it needed a bit more pea to thicken it. I also baked a butternut squash to add to the one I bought. Now it's too thick. I need to add a bit of broth. Anyway, yesterday morning I knocked the pea soup container off the shelf in the frig and it spilled all over the rug and the floor and me. All before school. Not the way I want to start the morning. I feel the same way when Lacy barfs.

Today is the first day of testing and mostly the library is closed.

On Fri. I am going to see a lawyer for my free consultation about my workers comp claim.

I found out I can get unemployment. I also can get Cobra but I am covered through August. Then the school district pays $365. a month for the medical and I pay a slight fee to Kaiser then for delta dental and the vision plan. I went and bought another pair of glasses on Sat. so I could claim it on my flex plan. Perhaps I should have waited until Oct when I could take 200 off my frames. They cost in the neighborhood of 600.

It seems the heat we had here has headed East. It was in the 90's and one day we had the humidity too.

My back really still hurt from Fri.,still Sat, Sun and Mon. Now it's a bit better and we got another pallet of science books. Then come the math books. Followed by returning text books. I got all the ESL dictionaries and workbooks cataloged and the kids shelved them. I used my asparagus rubber bands because the ones we had were too flimsy and popped.

Cataloging done

After a lot of processing and cataloging I got the books done. It's been a very busy 2 days.

One of our 6th graders, that was allegedly helping to pay off her fines, was copying answers from the teacher's edition while she was in there.
The V.P. and the counselor were in the conference room reading her the riot act wanting her to admit it and then snitch on which of her classmates had stolen a key from the teacher. It was scary and she was hating and refusing saying she wouldn't tell because "they would know" and hate her. Monica told her she was out of here and SHE WOULD TELL HER AND RIGHT NOW!
Would have scared me.

The wind picked up a lot yesterday and today too in addition to dropping 25 degrees.

Today, the principal brought the "new librarian" I think, into the library, or the book room. Ramses also interviewed for the two open slots. He is great but needs the teacher certification or the MLS or both. I'm trying to teach him everything I know before I leave.

I was so sore. My back was still screaming in both the thoracic area and lumbar below the waist. I could have put 3 patches on and taken a muscle relaxer. Even after a 5 hr bap it still hurts.


The insurer sent me a copy of my case 2 inches thick to review and fill out, symptoms etc. I need 3 copies. Maybe I need to get a lawyer. I need a consult from my nephew in law again.

I hear mercury is in retrograde so hang on to your hat, watch yourself, lock the doors and be hyper vigilant about your surroundings.

It's Official

All 4 of the new teachers to this campus/school will be gone at the end of the year. Two last year and two this year. This is a difficult staff and campus/school to integrate. This year I felt like I finally making some headway.

I used to live in Vallejo in 77 for a year. At that time I subbed in the Vallejo and Benicia public schools. One of the Vallejo schools, The kids set a fire in the trash can. Fortunately it was raining so I ran to the end of the hall and dragged the big trash can out in the rain. Probably left a good opportunity to take my wallet. After school that day when the kids left the history class I was in and had been asked to fill in until the end of the year I was sitting at the teachers desk with my hands covering my face when a kid tried to climb in the window from the outside!. No way. I took other schools but never that one again.

I tell you this because a little further up the road nearer to Benicia and Fairfield where I used to attend Community College there is an English teaching position
posted for next year.

When I got home last night I discovered Lacey had thrown up on the bed. I put on a new cotton sheet because it was so hot and washed the bedspread. Then I did a load with the sheet. I need to get her settled on the new food. It does not make me happy to be cleaning up puke before school or after. Since I don't go into the living room every day I sometimes don't discover her deposit until it's had a chance to dry. One time she left some poop on the bathroom rug. I don't know what that was about. Maybe I wasn't scooping her waste out of the clumping litter fast enough or the liner also needed to be changed.

The weather changed again from very hot yesterday to cool. The fog rolled in again and the temps are back in the 60's.

How much of a carbon footprint do you leave. With garbage the size of Texas floating in the Pacific it makes me want to use my canvas bags in the supermarket. Besides, they are more sturdy. Like San Francisco, San Jose is contemplating charging for plastic bags .5 cents per bag. It takes more processing to make a paper bag. I ask for paper in plastic so they double as my trash bags. If they charge I will go to using cloth. I do now on occasion. I certainly have enough bags. Sometimes they are filled with other stuff though. That's why I only have a few in the car. I also ask baggers to bag heavy. Use the bag up. I need to turn down my water heater too.

We got a huge shipment of books to catalog. I am having the kids help stamp and barcode but some cant put the labels in the right place or stamp the right side up.
A lot of books and cataloging




I could rent my house out here.

Another hot day

It is supposed to cool off for a few days but it doesn't feel like it this morning. Both fans are going. I took another sleeping pill at 1 that helped I actually got more than 3 hrs. sleep.

I'm reading another good book by Lisa Scottsdale called " Look Again" seems to be about a reporter who finds her adopted son's picture on a have you seen this child card. After a week of non stop reading it's nice to get one with a little meat to it.

My back is killing me and I'm in my new chair with 2 pillows stuffed behind my back to push me forward.

Too darn hot!

They claim it was only 93 but I disagree. The car said 95. Today it is suposed to be warmer and I agree. The car said 93. It feels hotter.

I have both fans going at work and opened a window at night at home.

I got home from the dentist aafter an emergency filling in a crown that once again covers the root. Hope that works v. a whole new crown.

I met for 2 hrs. with the claim adjuster from our insurance carrier. He taped the conversation. I wonder if anything will get done.

Happy Easter

It's been a while and Easter is gone. I had some left over meatloaf instead of the ham and potatos. It was probably better for me.

I barely left the house and read a ton of books. It was relaxing to hang with Lacy. She stayed with me most of the time and or came in during the night to curl up.

I finally may be getting some attention on my Workers Comp claim anf I am meeting to review the case tomarrow morning.

It's really hot already today, expected to be hotter tomarrow.

When I don't move my back feels fine.

Same thing with the fan. When it blows on me and I don't move I am cool enough.

It was over 100 in Gilroy. Good for the garlic I suppose.

I read Long Lost by Corbin. It was only O.K.

Reading essays

Counting down to Spring Break 3 more days.

After grading essays for 3 hrs. I've had it. I stretched out sleep till the last possible minute this morning.

Earth Day is the 20th...

a sign of the times

What did you do on Earth day last week. Between the hour of 8 and 9 p.m. we were supposed to turn off all electrical things. I read my candle since it was getting dark and looked out to see if any of my neighbors were doing it. Not many I think. I asked at the farmers market the next morning and they didn't know about it. Starting in Australia and running around the world major lighted fixtures went out. We turned out the lights in San Francisco on the Capitol Dome and a place in North Beach and the Transamerica pyramid went black.

I would like to see the difference in electricity for that hour. They estimate that 1 million of our 6 participated. Did you?

Tomorrow is a teachers work day. We come and grade papers. The kids are gone. Ramses has the day off.

I read a book and went to the farmers market this weekend, got out in the beautiful weather. I took a nap because I got up at 6:30 for some reason on Sunday morning and then had to take a muscle relaxer for my back and take a sleeping pill to get to sleep. After an hour of tossing Lacey got up and left.

Today we had an earthquake drill. duck and cover in place, evacuation, appropriate considering the earthquake they had today in Italy and the earthquake last week.

Today it was 83. Too hot. I like it in the 70's. I made stuffed red peppers with brown rice roadted tomato sauce and gr. beef. Last night it was meatloaf and before shrimp scampi with whole wheat pasta and w.w. ravoli.

The old fashion whole wheat stone ground bread I get from the farmers market is so pure and unlike any supermarket bread you will never go back once you get one. Beckmans is 4.50 a loaf about the same price.

Why does brown rice take longer to cook?

gas prices have gone up about 20 cents to 2.19 from last week. It was 13.00 or so to fill up so I wasn't quite to a quarter tank.

On sad news, a little girl 8, was discovered in a barrel in a drainage canal.

Happy Hour

Met Inna for Happy Hour last night at Chevey's. She is in special ed and urged me to go into that for there are always jobs.

I couldn't drink so I had ice tea to her strawberry Margarita. I thought about a virgin pina colada but figured I could do without the calories. We got chicken nachos and she got flautas which I hate.

She remarried her ex so he could get insurance now she's divorcing him again.

It was nice to get out.

I'm watchong the movie Brokeback Mountain tonight.

Left my keys on my desk

I went to the copy place last night and the woman was willing to work on scanning my documents onto a disk. She made a backup that is valueless. There is one disk that seems o.k. She was getting instructions from a guy on the phone so it took over an hour in the meantime I walked down to Round Table to use the bathroom, looked through greeting cards and read a Spanish translation card of 4 pages with laminated words on it. Then I went through and cleaned out my teaching briefcase. I hadn't "weeded" it in a long time. I have letters of recommendation that go back to my student teaching in 1976.

Today we are trying to keep one of the doors of the office closed to limit student access. It feels clostrophobic to be though. When Ramses leaves I may open it again.

I'm looking forward to the weekend and as we say then only 5 more days for Spring Break and we are ready for it.

Marilyn wants me to come up over break. She is not doing too well. She can't cope with finding a new house for June AND IS IN A LOT OF PAIN. sHE'S GOING TO A maxieCRANIAL MASSAGE SESSION IN eUREKA BUT SINCE SHE CAN'T DRIVE IT COSTS 40 FOR THE DRIVER AND THEN 95. FOR THE SESSION WITHOUT INSURANCE TO COVER IT.

We had a small earthquake. I was moving and didn't feel it. The 2 girls waiting in my office stationary did. Then we sucked and sheltered under tables in the library.

No April Showers

I sent in my property taxes today. The are above 3l a year now. I need another prop 13.
I didn't even have to take a sleeping pill last night I was out during the Tonight show. The last time I wanted to watch Obama I fell asleep during too. I end up waking at 2 and turn the tv off.

I've been wearing my hair back in a headband this week.

One more week to go. till break.

All the science projects that were displayed on every surface are out and tomarrow the library can be opened again.

I dropped off my prescription at RiteAid finally. My back hurts when I sit too hard or bend over to pick something up or push in a chair. Forget picking one up. Bringing in groceries is o.k.

My friends Caro and Kim said they would help me . Caro said I could come stay at her house. Kim said she would take me home. We all want to be in our own homes) She can stop by and bring food and get groceries as will Caro depending what kind of help is needed. Do you thing they go through the back or the front to get to the spine for surgery. He was talking about cutting through the adipose tissue. I'll have to ask on Mon. when I go back to see Dr. Radu.

April Fool's

Blueberries and beets stain your fingers and about every other thing. I need to be careful what I put them in. I add blueberries to my oatmeal. I'm glad they are in glass bowls and cups because otherwise they would be stained.

As much as I love beets, the red ones I have to cook and wear gloves while I peel them.

When I make a meatloaf I put gloves on too to squish the egg, bread crumbs, Worchester, catchup and Dijon mustard around. My last one was too small only 3 or 4 servings. I want it to have at least 6 for the effort. I cook it with carrots and potatoes too. I also have 3 or 4 Brussels sprouts. I'm not a big fan but if they are small I can do it. I have been eating just veggies 2 nights a week. With my butternut squash soup and a beet then 1/2 a package of some frozen vegetable or a bag of steamed green beans or asparagus. Now we are into asparagus season. The strawberries are sweet too. Asparagus was on sale for 1.29 at Safeway last week.

I may also get a small Honey baked Ham. I love having the bone afterward to cook with green beans or lentil soup. I could even maybe do beef and barley soup or beef soup. My friend Kim's mom used to make me beef soup. I hate getting it at the supermarket because it has so much salt. I like to make French Onion Soup though.

We are off April 11th through 19th. Let the count down begin. 10 more days minus weekends. That's only 7, and I have an appointment on Monday with my Dr. The library is closed this week too because all the 8th graders have their science projects on every conceivable surface. Tonight is parent's night.

I've had a nap from 5:30 to 8 each day and then have to take a sleeping pill at 2 last night I took it at 12 and got to sleep at 1. Yes, I've tried staying up....

I planted some Roma tomato seeds indoors tonight.

I've been squeezing my oranges. There are still a lot to pick. Marilyn says to eat the orange not juice them since there is so much sugar. It does take over 6 oranges to make a small glass.