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judifilksignThis was the first day of school with children for me, and for sending my own children to school. My darling husband made Sparkle's breakfast, and we got her ready in time to get on her six thirty in the morning bus. Today, at least, with her excitement for school, it was no problem. We'll see if half an hour is enough to get ready as the school year progresses. Sparkle was a bit disconcerted to be waiting for the bus in the dark, though. Cliches of "It's always darkest before the dawn" will apply later this year, I'm sure.
Sparkle came back from school, asking, "Will I get to go to school again on Friday?"
I said, "Yes, of course, dear. And you'll go to school on Thursday, too."
"I will?" Sparkle asked wonderingly. "Oh, boy, oh boy! Hooray!"
Dino was more blase about attending high school. He is most worried about Spanish class. From what I can glean, the Spanish teacher spent most of the class talking only in Spanish. Dino said full immersion will hopefully not lead to flailing or drowning.
Irish had a good day at school, too, and while he has the latest bus, at eight-thirty, he didn't get home until well after five, either, which he dislikes, because it eats into his "daylight play time." He was the only one today who came back with homework, too.
My school day went quite well. In the hall after school, I heard students talking about their teachers. The consensus? The math teacher is "the mean teacher," (to which the math teacher said, upon hearing, "Nyah. I'm just the average.") The science teacher was "who is that new guy?" or "the tall guy," (he is 6 foot six inches, and complains he can never avoid anyone at parties.) The social studies teacher "expects too much," and the English teacher (that's me) is "that crazy teacher." Well, the shoe fits pretty well for me, at least!
One student had me pretty much pegged from the get-go. "You totally liked Drama, didn't you?"
I said "Does it show?"
He held up his fingers an inch. "Just a little," he grinned.
"No," I corrected, flinging my arms out wide. "Just a LOT!" The class all laughed.
I arrived home after school to discover that my darling, darling husband had made me a four layer dark chocolate fudge cake, with secret inner goodies like chocolate fudge cherry in between layers, and cream cheese frosting in between, and chocolate frosting. Does my man know and love me just a little? No, (flinging my arms out wide,) just a LOT!
After supper and CAKE (nom, nom, nom), I went for a bike ride with Sparkle, at her instigation. My DH tried to tighten my seat, but his socket wrench broke. It was tighter, but still had play as I rode.
Sparkle was chatty tonight. She wanted to tell me about her day, but didn't have the words. "Today at school, we huh-huh-HUH huh-huhhed," she'd say. "And there was this boy. And he was a boy, and he huh-huh-huh. It was a nice day! I can't wait to go back Thursday and Friday!"
There were flocks and flocks of sparrows today, in the dozens in each group. They were all in the long grass, invisible until they burst into flight to the bushes which were closer to us than the grass was. I guess trees just feel safer for birds. It was interesting to see the birds flash golden in the sun, and then be a silhouette, then flash golden again as they gained altitude. I think the baby grasshoppers are pretty much doomed. I sure didn't see many today.
Sparkle noticed a squirrel. "Look, mama. That squirrel is sleeping in the middle of the road. Be careful not to wake him!"
The poor squirrel was an ex-squirrel. He was about a foot away from a broken branch across the path. The branch looked pretty mangled, like it was one of the ones that had been trimmed by the trimming machine to help clear the branches from alongside the pathway. My guess is that the branch was only partially cut, or cut through and was only balanced against other branches, and when the squirrel leaped onto it, he fell.
I told Sparkle, "He won't wake up, honey. I'm sorry, but the poor squirrel is dead."
Sparkle said, "The poor squirrel is sleeping, like the cat in the road."
I said, "The sleeping cat will wake up, but this squirrel is dead, not sleeping. He won't wake up."
Sparkle said, "We won't disturb him, then, shall we? Let's move on." She sounded like a granny tour guide as she said it. I chose not to belabor the point, not really knowing what else to say, anyway.
We were passed by a couple on a tandem bike, who rang their bells cheerfully at us to warn us they were passing. It was a HUGE guy in front, football linebacker sized, and a tiny lady in back, slim and short.
Sparkle asked, "Is she his little girl? Like I'm your little girl?"
The man laughed. "She's my little woman!" The "little woman" smacked him in the middle of his back.
I explained that the lady was all grown up, just like her Grandma J. Sparkle's Grandma J is a petite lady herself, so that satisfied Sparkle.
Because the seat was still wiggly, we turned around at the first road. But the ride seemed easier anyway. There was less leaning right and left, steering was easier, without the "death grip" needed yesterday, and I didn't have to stand up as many times to get up the slopes.
Sparkle was enchanted going past the little garden near the first road, because they've built a little wooden swing set, and there was a small white-haired child being pushed by a grandma. A cute dog gamboled at their feet, following the swing back and forth with its head and smiling a big tongue-lolling grin. The little child kept calling "Hi! Hi there! Hi!" Sparkle awwed, and called and waved back. Moving on, Sparkle also noted, "They have nice, big, ripe, red tomatoes. I bet those ripe tomatoes are really yummy. For someone else."
When I got home, I asked my handy-dandy neighbor guy for help with the bike seat, and he took a couple of minutes and tightened it up for me, and said that my DH could borrow his tools any time he needed to get a job done. I petted the horses, and came inside.So, this is the birthday upon which for at least one year, I am the epitome of the Answer to the Ultimate Question to the Life, the Universe, and Everything.
All in all, a most satisfactory birthday.
Sparkle came back from school, asking, "Will I get to go to school again on Friday?"
I said, "Yes, of course, dear. And you'll go to school on Thursday, too."
"I will?" Sparkle asked wonderingly. "Oh, boy, oh boy! Hooray!"
Dino was more blase about attending high school. He is most worried about Spanish class. From what I can glean, the Spanish teacher spent most of the class talking only in Spanish. Dino said full immersion will hopefully not lead to flailing or drowning.
Irish had a good day at school, too, and while he has the latest bus, at eight-thirty, he didn't get home until well after five, either, which he dislikes, because it eats into his "daylight play time." He was the only one today who came back with homework, too.
My school day went quite well. In the hall after school, I heard students talking about their teachers. The consensus? The math teacher is "the mean teacher," (to which the math teacher said, upon hearing, "Nyah. I'm just the average.") The science teacher was "who is that new guy?" or "the tall guy," (he is 6 foot six inches, and complains he can never avoid anyone at parties.) The social studies teacher "expects too much," and the English teacher (that's me) is "that crazy teacher." Well, the shoe fits pretty well for me, at least!
One student had me pretty much pegged from the get-go. "You totally liked Drama, didn't you?"
I said "Does it show?"
He held up his fingers an inch. "Just a little," he grinned.
"No," I corrected, flinging my arms out wide. "Just a LOT!" The class all laughed.
I arrived home after school to discover that my darling, darling husband had made me a four layer dark chocolate fudge cake, with secret inner goodies like chocolate fudge cherry in between layers, and cream cheese frosting in between, and chocolate frosting. Does my man know and love me just a little? No, (flinging my arms out wide,) just a LOT!
After supper and CAKE (nom, nom, nom), I went for a bike ride with Sparkle, at her instigation. My DH tried to tighten my seat, but his socket wrench broke. It was tighter, but still had play as I rode.
Sparkle was chatty tonight. She wanted to tell me about her day, but didn't have the words. "Today at school, we huh-huh-HUH huh-huhhed," she'd say. "And there was this boy. And he was a boy, and he huh-huh-huh. It was a nice day! I can't wait to go back Thursday and Friday!"
There were flocks and flocks of sparrows today, in the dozens in each group. They were all in the long grass, invisible until they burst into flight to the bushes which were closer to us than the grass was. I guess trees just feel safer for birds. It was interesting to see the birds flash golden in the sun, and then be a silhouette, then flash golden again as they gained altitude. I think the baby grasshoppers are pretty much doomed. I sure didn't see many today.
Sparkle noticed a squirrel. "Look, mama. That squirrel is sleeping in the middle of the road. Be careful not to wake him!"
The poor squirrel was an ex-squirrel. He was about a foot away from a broken branch across the path. The branch looked pretty mangled, like it was one of the ones that had been trimmed by the trimming machine to help clear the branches from alongside the pathway. My guess is that the branch was only partially cut, or cut through and was only balanced against other branches, and when the squirrel leaped onto it, he fell.
I told Sparkle, "He won't wake up, honey. I'm sorry, but the poor squirrel is dead."
Sparkle said, "The poor squirrel is sleeping, like the cat in the road."
I said, "The sleeping cat will wake up, but this squirrel is dead, not sleeping. He won't wake up."
Sparkle said, "We won't disturb him, then, shall we? Let's move on." She sounded like a granny tour guide as she said it. I chose not to belabor the point, not really knowing what else to say, anyway.
We were passed by a couple on a tandem bike, who rang their bells cheerfully at us to warn us they were passing. It was a HUGE guy in front, football linebacker sized, and a tiny lady in back, slim and short.
Sparkle asked, "Is she his little girl? Like I'm your little girl?"
The man laughed. "She's my little woman!" The "little woman" smacked him in the middle of his back.
I explained that the lady was all grown up, just like her Grandma J. Sparkle's Grandma J is a petite lady herself, so that satisfied Sparkle.
Because the seat was still wiggly, we turned around at the first road. But the ride seemed easier anyway. There was less leaning right and left, steering was easier, without the "death grip" needed yesterday, and I didn't have to stand up as many times to get up the slopes.
Sparkle was enchanted going past the little garden near the first road, because they've built a little wooden swing set, and there was a small white-haired child being pushed by a grandma. A cute dog gamboled at their feet, following the swing back and forth with its head and smiling a big tongue-lolling grin. The little child kept calling "Hi! Hi there! Hi!" Sparkle awwed, and called and waved back. Moving on, Sparkle also noted, "They have nice, big, ripe, red tomatoes. I bet those ripe tomatoes are really yummy. For someone else."
When I got home, I asked my handy-dandy neighbor guy for help with the bike seat, and he took a couple of minutes and tightened it up for me, and said that my DH could borrow his tools any time he needed to get a job done. I petted the horses, and came inside.So, this is the birthday upon which for at least one year, I am the epitome of the Answer to the Ultimate Question to the Life, the Universe, and Everything.
All in all, a most satisfactory birthday.
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no subject
Date: 2011-08-25 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-25 08:03 pm (UTC)It's easier to be faithful to a regime when it's interesting and fun. I have been amazed that there is something new every time I ride down the same path, even after more than fifty times.
And having company while I do it makes it better, too.
It makes me happy that I have folks who read about my rides with interest.