Month: November 2017

One of Those Days

I really wish I could have posed like Kasia did for this picture..

I got a day off today, only to have to go back to the ophthalmologist to have my eyes measured again for the surgery. I understand the surgeon wanted to double check my numbers, but an hour and a half round trip tires you out.

Then, neighborhood drama was going on and drama,well, I just don’t have the stomach for it anymore, so I just kept shaking my head while trying to be polite.

I can’t wait for everything to be done so I can get back to normal. A busy schedule is just not fun in retirement.

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More Education for Me

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What a difference fifty years has made.

Today in third grade, we had “Lockdown” practice. Since I have been working down here, I only was in a lockdown once, and that was when a local bank was robbed and they put the whole school under lockdown.

It was a good, yet challenging day in our third grade today. We had a lot of interaction with the children, and I actually had the mentally challenged boy walk with me into class-that was a big step. They say it shows he trusts me. Don’t get me wrong: we had our share of tears and tantrums, children crawling under tables to avoid doing math problems, and other sorts of drama.

I really have come to like this class. All of the students have their own stories, some sad, some with family issues and the like. You really learn the dynamic about handling children with these ailments. You want to try to help them the best you can.

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I’ll be keeping them in my prayers, because God knows they need it.

An Education

I returned to work today, or should I say that I went into the belly of the monster.

I am currently assigned to a self-contained class of third grade students.There are pupils in there suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, being mentally challenged,having severe behavioral issues, and so on. There was never a day I was so glad that I worked for five months in a self-contained kindergarten. Every third second in the class another challenge comes your way. Suffice it to say I was glad to return home and walk Kasia girl a couple of times; it helped me stifle the urge to have a drink. Instead, i am doing wash, and when it’s done, I’ll have a hot shower and go to bed.

Tomorrow is another day.

Off to Work I go

Well, the first holiday is over, and Christmas is around the corner.

I am back to work tomorrow, and this is it for me until I get the all clear from the ophthalmologist. I have learned in little time, that children, especially small ones, are germ magnets. I want nothing to find its’ way into me to mess up my healing from the cataracts. When I had gone to my appointment with the ophthalmologist, I thought I had been perking a case of pink eye, but instead it was another type of infection in my left eye. I am taking drops and warm compresses so it will be clear for surgery on December 19th. I had one big pink eye bout when I first started and I try to avoid it if I can. Those of you who work with little ones know the runny nose-no tissue situation, so you get up, go get tissues, and hand them to the student. You can go and put anti-bacterial gel you want, if the germs were meant for you, well, what can I say?

“Ah-choo!”

We are….Penn State

I am so thankful for my memory, although somedays I wonder where it went.

Penn State football is on channel x, and when I saw they were playing Maryland, my eyes welled up , in a good way.

Forty years ago, my Dad took me up to State College to see the same matchup. In a sense, with new types of penalties and rulings, I am sure Dad’s head would spin.Still, this game was Dad’s game.

I am always grateful for the love and time we shared; he was the best ! And as they say, God is a Penn State fan-why else is the sky blue and white?

All Movies, All the Time

So working to the holiday weekend, doing little around the house, I happened to put on AMC.

Maybe I should call it, “Movies circa 1970.”

I say this because I remember seeing the Sound of Music when it was reissued. The movie ran its’ length continuously so you could come in late and stay until you saw it in the second showing, and then you left.

Today, evidently, is all Titanic all the time on AMC. Miss five minutes, catch it three hours later.

Oh yeah: I have nothing better to do, right?

Gobble…..

Well, it’s Monday night of Thanksgiving week.

Kasia is curled up on her bed, Jim is in his back room playing guitar, and I am resting my ankle while watching The Voice. This week has everyone hopping trying to get ready for Thanksgiving.

This is a quick word to let you know, dear Reader, that I am always thankful for you.

Happy Thanksgiving. Here’s hoping you enjoy the holiday and stay safe,

Missing In Action

I apologize if anyone has missed me for the last few posts. Pre-operative preparation has kept me hopping!

My Christmas cactus opened in time for an early Thanksgiving showing. Taking a cue from looking at it, I decided that purple was my color of the day.This morning I picked two varied shades of purple shirts to layer for myself in the wind. When I was getting dressed, I reflected on how far I have come in the colors of my wardrobe .

For the longest time, if you looked in my closet, you’d see blue and green, and that was pretty much it. For me, green was the calming colors of Christmas trees and leafy forests. Blue was the color of some of the oceans I had come across n my travels, and the color of my natural birthstone, which is turquoise. Let’s not forget the sky.

With the step into my 50’s, suddenly I decided I liked plum and shades of purple. Keep in mind it wasn’t pretending to be born to the royals with that move. It was funny how many compliments I got while wearing those shades of purple. I figured I looked pretty decent.

Guess it isn’t too late for this old gal to learn a few tricks!

Pulling at Band-Aids

I am watching television and on comes a commercial for Medicare 65 health insurance. The man is walking along a beach with a golden retriever.

**sigh**

It’s that time of year and I had to figure out our Christmas cards. Of course, I do photo cards and that meant pictures, for the last time, of both my girls.

**sigh**

It’s November and it’s been 5 months and 8 days since my Zush left me. Her foster mom, my buddy Kathy, tells me how their spirit stays behind. I sit in our love seat and look at where she used to lay and try to visualize her, but to no avail. I talk to her once in a while, too. Oh, I know: Kasia reigns supreme now, but Zush still haunts me. Here alone at night with Kasia, it is kind of quiet.At least with the both of them here I always had entertainment. More often, it was me yelling at Kasia to stop bothering Zush, or talking to Zush as she lay out back on the deck to try to coax her back in. I talk to Kasia, really, I do. The quietness is still overwhelming.
We both miss her sister.

When I lost my parents, friends always would say the heart heals with time.Through the past twenty years, my heart has yet to heal.Oh sure, it would start to.When that would happen, it was a guarantee that more heartache was around the corner.

God, how I miss her.

Different Day,Same Story

Back in a classroom this morning,I had a sense of deja vu.

My first go-round in a classroom in 2015 was a self-contained classroom with 8 little boys in various stages of Aspberger’s syndrome through Autism. It was a hand full, but you learned something every day. I would come home beat, but in a good way.

Fast forward to this morning

I now had another self-contained classroom, only instead of little guys, I had eight first graders. Dealing with what they go through , we celebrated every correct answer and , although there were times the yelling made you think of kids going through a sugar crash, they tried their best to learn. I like to think I made some new friends with them.

In all, I can’t wait to get them again.

Welcome November Weather

The sun is out. I know :understatement of the day.

What the photo fails to convey is that the wind is blustery at 25 to 40 miles per hour. If you didn’t get the memo and you lived here by me at Undisclosed Location, let me confirm for you what you felt when you went out this morning and felt.

“Damn, it’s cold out.”

My buddy Juls who lives on the side of a mountain in another state. Our average difference is usually 15 degrees colder there than here.The clincher here, though,is the bay.

Nice picture, right? The 32 degree temperature puts a little different spin on that picture.

Welcome, November weather!

Lessons I’ve Learned

I’ve always been taught that patience is a virtue.

If you have read my posts with any regularity, you’ll remember my trials and tribulations with the initial trying of raising Gerber daisies; they were something I always liked but never planted.


Sure, they were gorgeous when I first got them, but  I really flew by the seat of  my pants dealing with these beauties. I coaxed them lovingly through summer’s heat, and made sure they got watered. I kept faith and after a while of looking at what I like to call Gerber lettuce, and as a reward, got a ton of new blooms. 

Who knew?

Now , the sad part is I cut some blooms down and put them in a glass on my counter. Temperature is due to go to 21 degrees tomorrow, so I figured I might as well enjoy them.

Can’t wait to try for next year.

Early to Bed

Kasia is not the only one turning in early these days. I had a dermatology appointment this morning with Jim, so we had to make sure we were both up and ready for the early appointments,
Then we had a few stops to make before we got back to the house. I have to get Kasia out a few times and take care of laundry and making Jim lunch and dinner , and then it starts…

pencil-case… check
writing paper… check
iPhone … check
thermos for coffee…check
donuts …check.

Tomorrow is election day here and I am sure all through the country. It’s another morning of being at my local fire hall by 5:15 and done if we are lucky. by 8:15pm.

Long, Long day….
Thus, early to bed.

Not a Good Time

We are living in a state of angst and anxiety right now.

Our neighbor knocked their old house down, and then promptly placed a modular bi-level home 5 feet away from our property line. The size of this house would have it better suited on an acre of ground; not on their double lot. It is placed 17 feet from the curb, and my poor neighbor has lost her view from the front door. Once trees, now cracker box house.

We are upset,as we left the city  to have a little space with our house; our RETIREMENT house. Now I can no longer even open my side bedroom window because you have a scenic view of a monstrosity of a home. Might as well be back in the city. We both are spinning between anxiety, anger and depression. If we try to sell our house now, who would buy it overshadowed by a ugly modular. We are thinking of putting it up for sale and going to a 55+ community.

It broke my heart to leave our home on Rochelle. Just thinking of all the work and money into this house, well……..

Please send some prayers and good karma our way. Sunday’s sermon at Mass was love your neighbor. I would hope God has a sense of humor and makes it a 2-way street.

Not a Good Time

We are living in a state of angst and anxiety right now.

Our neighbor knocked their old house down, and then promptly placed a modular bi-level home 5 feet away from our property line. The size of this house would have it better suited on an acre of ground; not on their double lot. It is placed 17 feet from the curb, and my poor neighbor has lost her view from the front door. Once trees, now cracker box house.

We are upset,as we left the city  to have a little space with our house; our RETIREMENT house. Now I can no longer even open my side bedroom window because you have a scenic view of a monstrosity of a home. Might as well be back in the city. We both are spinning between anxiety, anger and depression. If we try to sell our house now, who would buy it overshadowed by a ugly modular. We are thinking of putting it up for sale and going to a 55+ community.

It broke my heart to leave our home on Rochelle. Just thinking of all the work and money into this house, well……..

Please send some prayers and good karma our way. Sunday’s sermon at Mass was love your neighbor. I would hope God has a sense of humor and makes it a 2-way street.

Ode to My Dessert


I can’t help it.

Given the choice of something for dessert, I blessed my 80-year-old neighbor, Rita. As Jim said, she is as if she were our neighbor from Rochelle. She is truly good people. Rita gave both me and Jim our own little Halloween bag. 

Rita knows me; she knows that I love Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. I had my dinner, and I went on the prowl for something to get to my salty/sweet tooth. For some reason, a Reese’s cup works most of the time.

Being a native Pennsylvanian, my parents took us to Hershey Park back when the amusements were not on a grand scale, but they were fun, skee ball machines came from Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, and the factory tour was truly a factory tour- not an animated ride. You got to tour the working factory for free, and your reward was a Hershey chocolate-colored folder that was complete with recipes, an envelope of hot chocolate mix,and Hershey Bar.It was full size too!


So this ends my history with Hershey’s, and with Reese’s peanut butter cups.

A big shout of thanks to my buddy Rita!