Give and take

Henry had his Blue and Gold celebration at Naquag last night. It was crazy and nice. He got his "Wolf" badge and a gold arrow head. He is very proud of the latter. The kids were very respectful for the most part. A few played in the back of the room at incorrect times. Henry didn't though, he was so good. He played with his friend Nicholas for most of the night.

So, I was looking around the gym and noticed these two water bubblers in the back of the cafeteria. One of them has a spout and the other looks like some high positioned, ever-running urinal on the wall. I have noticed these before, and had completely puzzled over what the other one was (the one on the left). Finally, I asked Jenny and she said it was for.... spitting. No kidding, a spit receptical... I am fascinated... and horrified. If Jenny is right, this is a modern day spittoon, right in the elementary school in the center of town.

Immediate questions race through my head: Does anyone still use it? Does someone have to clean it? Can I have one in my house?

OK, so, Rutlandites... is Jenny right about this thing? Is it truly a spit-urinal thing? Have you ever used it?!?!! I must know...

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A Better Day

I made lemonade today. One lemon, juiced, water, ice, bunch of sugar, shaken not stirred = a very happy glass of lemonade.

Jenny suggested we take a walk when I got home. So we all went out to RSP and walked with Chauce. There are midges out now, tons of the little guys flying around, but they don't bite, they just.... fly. It was an OK day today. Thanks btw to those of you that commented on this blog and on my facebook about how and where to store pictures. I am researching and will probably ask more detailed, better questions in the future.
We are off to see the musical at the high school tomorrow. I must say, I missed not directing the play this year. A huge part of me really wants to do it again, but it was also nice not to feel all that pressure right in the beginning of the year.


I really like the picture today, Nora looks like she's about to fly.

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Lemons

Wow... super high stress day today. But, MCAS is over... life can continue again. My laptop crashed in a huge flaming ball of awefullness a couple of days ago. So bad. I took it to the computer repair guys and they literally laughed at me. I asked them to try and recover the pictures of my family from the wreckage, and they weren't even able to do that. I backed them up like a year ago or some such thing. I am now going to subscribe to an online storage source for my picture backups. Any thoughts as to which I should go with?? (sad) (very... sad)

I bought lemons today, I am going to make lemon sherbet out of them soon. Lets let that be a hopeful metaphor to a seriously terrible day.


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Weekend update

I love this warm weather. Its like late Spring without the flies! Nice for walks in the morning with a certain thick headed, big, brown dog. Not much to say tonight.

The tree swallows came out this week. They are like air-dolphins...

The Queen of Dairy

After years of careful research, I have finally determined the best Soft-serve Sunday on the planet. The honors of such a proud title belong only to........ the medium Cherry Sunday at Dairy Queen in Spencer Massachusetts!!!!!

Seriously... I'm not lying.

I am not a big ice cream fan. Actually, I'm not a big desert fan at all. I would generally go for a slice of pizza over any desert offered. However, the Cherry Sunday at Dairy Queen is completely exquisite. Tart, sweet, cold, with salty peanuts over the top. Yes my friends... yes.

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Hope... or lack there of...

So here is my little bit of writing from yesterday. This came from this writing prompt, that I gave to my students. ( I actually like the way this starts... and may continue this one out to see what happens. My list of important things was: Food, Family, Shelter, Contact, and Hope. I chose to exclude "hope" from someone's life.)

There is nothing. No light, no dark, no life, no death, and no possibility of their return.....nothing. And its like this every night. Most people dream of nice things: flying, falling, or being chased by axe murderers,but I dream of nothing. And please don't confuse this with not dreaming, because that isn't even close. I dream literally of nothing, of vacuum, of void. It scares me so badly sometimes that when I wake, my face aches from having cried so hard in my sleep. At least that's how it used to be. Lately, for the past couple weeks, I have been carrying these dreams with me for a bit. I keep that ice, that steel feeling inside me... and that is even scarier. I usually break free from these feelings by breakfast. Something about a pleasant little bowl of Cheerios doesn't allow for such things, but that initial look in the mirror when I first wake up, my vacant eyes looking back at me, looking like concrete, or a graveyard, or just huge, dark, empty holes, is enough to make me question my sanity. Looking at myself in the mirror every morning this week has been like waking up to a serial killer in my room.

It's 7:30. Cheerios, milk, spoon, little red bowl, even sugar, all set neatly on the table in front of me. Small glass of orange juice... the table in front of me looks like some sort of health advocational commercial from Saturday morning television. I've opened up my windows and spring air is freely flowing through my kitchen. I have a bright yellow polo shirt and old jeans on.... nothing... zero... In my head there is only a subtle feeling that I should be feeling something. I take a spoonful of cereal and lift it drippingly to my mouth, so much cardboard and water, like sandpaper in my throat.

I remember my mother making breakfast when I was six, the last year I actually knew my mother, and where a deep seated sadness used to reside, now there was only space and memory. I saw her like a stranger, the one who had protected me and who had died. Again my soul pinged out, looking for reaction, for pain, sorrow, hatred, but nothing echoed back.

pirates and forts

I felt really good today for the first time in a while. Even my writing seemed to come back to me. It was so beautiful out. Henry threw off his backpack when he got off of the bus and immediately started playing outside. The picture is of them defending their fort, pirate style. Nora was way into telling Henry how much she loves him today. Henry, in true boyish fashion, returned her hugs and love with a timely "get off of me you....parasite."

Nice day. I learned somethings today.

1. It helps me to write.
My writing prompt for my students today was to quickly list, in general terms, the five most important things in your life. They had 30 seconds to do this. Then, with the remaining 9 minutes and 30 seconds, to begin a short fictional piece about someone that didn't have one of those things in their life. I wrote along with them. My protagonist was void of "hope." But, only at night when he slept, and the story continued as that emptiness started to creep into his "awake" life. I actually really like the way it started.... maybe I will post it here tomorrow...

2. It is pointless to tell Nora to be nice to Chaucer... I don't think she even knows that continually pulling his ears to the ground isn't an act of kindness.

3. Do not try to make homemade fish sticks with creme as the base for breadcrumbs... not ok. Although the kids ate them all. (yuck)

4. I really like nice weather.

goodnight

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weekend update

So, just updating things for this past weekend. Saturday was busy, but nice. I went on a nice walk with chauc and found the sweetest little bird's nest. The best thing about bird's nests is the inside. Sometimes, depending on the bird of course, they layer these "soft" branches all along the inside. I love things that aren't conceived by human minds. They built that, the birds, because they thought it would be nice and comfy. Honestly, how sweet is that?

Sunday started great. Church was good... I played Eric Clapton and only screwed up the chords a bit. The weather was amazing. I went on a hike with Chauc, Jen, Henry and Nora. The ticks are out.... Nora got one on her head and I picked off a few from her clothes. The hike itself was really nice, but the freaking tick went and ruined everything. Once someone finds a tick on them, everything turns internal. Everyone's thoughts are focused on every minute sensation that they can account for. Everyone sends out their radar in search for the damn things and they become the central focus. So, Nora had one embedded in her head and I had to hold her while jen picked the stupid thing out of her head. Nora cried so hard.... it was awful. She says it didn't hurt now, but she wasn't saying that then. She cried so hard that she broke blood vessels under her eyes.... awful.

And that brings us to today. Today is soup group. I made Mulligatawny and it came out pretty good. A bit too spicy for some of the kids though... "My tongue is on fire with spice!" floated out of the kitchen. Tonight, I was tired because Chaucer went for his first galavanting night trip last night, and I barely got any sleep thinking about how I was going to break his absence to the kids. Then he came back at around 2:30am and I spent another hour trying to get back to sleep again.

So, sometimes when I get too tired, I get a bit chatty. Tonight was nice though, I really do love the friends I have at soup group. They are welcoming when I am awkward... that's important. btw, if any of you soup groupers are reading this, I told Jenny about all of the conversation we had about her. She laughed and didn't kill me. That is also important.
So here's to good friends, nice weather... and sleep... goodnight.

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the small and large

Chris Stark, the sixth grade science teacher at Central Tree, invited me to take a few students with me to take pictures of plants on a tract of land that Mass Audubon is looking to purchase in Spencer. It was an old horse farm and it was really very beautiful. We hiked through old grown in pastures and through the woods to see glacial anamolies. It was really something today. I got to invite 5 students to take pictures.

Mr. Stark is then going to give those pictures to the art honors society and they are going to make sellable cards that anyone... even you... can purchase to fund Mass Audubon in their efforts to secure that land. Its a 300 acre property. We hunted around for plantlife that would be fitting for cards. Here is one of the plants that we found, it's called British Soldier. Cute little thing, it was about the size of a quarter. I'll throw a couple more pictures up there just for kicks...

I really had a great time with the students hiking around for a couple of hours.
nice day...

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...yup...

So, its March. Here I am hitting the first real dreaded wall that I thought would pop up. I guess the first was the stupid sickness I had, but this one I knew would eventually show up. I am boring. I don't really have some crazy life. I literally go to school, and then come home most days. School... home... school... home... and I can't even really write about all the absolute craziness that happens at school because of privacy situations with students. So. Here I am, meeting the exact reason that I started this blog in the first place. I am kind of bored with things. Trust me, my days are busy, but they are repetitive and commonplace.

Here are the top things on my mind right now.

I am tired
My friend's husband recently passed and I am not sure how to comfort her.
My wife is lonely
MCAS is 8 days away


There you have it. That's all. I knew this would come at some point, meeting my boring life head on, and here it is.
I fully intend to continue to write for the entire year. It will be interesting to see what happens after this first wall goes away. I am hoping I will be forced into something more exciting.

Well, time to go to bed and get up at either 6:30 or 7:00 and go to school and come back home and correct and eat and go to bed and get up at either 6:30 or 7:00 and go to school and....

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burning and boiling

Today was a pretty good Sunday. Bridget Janaque and I did well on a new song today, and on a song that we reimagined. Actually, it was a version that Janaque already knew. It was nice though. The three part harmony was really good, I really enjoyed not having to take center stage as well. After church, Henry and I tried to go to the indian super market on rt. 9 in Worcester, but the St. Patty's day parade blocked the route. Henry was fuming mad. I think I got his imagination going to hard regarding all of the foreign, new food that they would have. We were going for lemon grass, tamarind paste, and star anise.

After we got home we took a quick trip to my parents. They were making syrup (thus the picture). They built a shed this past summer and this is their first year trying their hand at it. They aren't doing bad at all, although, I guess its an awful year for it. But they will probably end up with a couple of gallons after all is said and done. I also was able to pay off some money that I borrowed from them to build the upstairs of our house. It felt good to be free from any personal debt that I might have. It was good.

Tomorrow is school, for me at least, not the students. It will be an early morning. Goodnight.

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Bruised but not broken

Henry came home with a note from school saying that he had taken a blow to the head. It was some sort of official form for head injuries. He actually seemed kind of proud to have had it. He's completely fine. Although, true to form, I was kind of worried...me worried? that he had a concussion. He said that he had blurry vision for a while, and that he thought the whole thing might have beed a dream.

I couldn't really tell if he was playing it up or not. He isn't prone to wanting attention like that, but in the same respect, he does exaggerate things when he gets hurt. Both of our kids haven't really been hurt bad. The worst, I think, was when they dumped bubble liquid on a yellow jacket nest on the back porch and were stung several times. Nora actually tried to kill the bees with her bare feet... brave girl.

Henry's account of what happened reminded me of a thousand similar events in my own childhood. He was playing tag at recess. Some girl ran up behind him as he was running and pushed him. He of course, fell on his head, because that is what we all do.

He's fine.

In other news, the clocks switch today. No more taking Chauc for walks in the morning before work for a bit longer. But, it also means spring is coming. Ah.... spring.

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Rutland Pizza

Somethings transcend our lives. They seem to be anchor points for the universe. Rutland Pizza is one of those things.

I have serious memories of this place back to my teen years. Back when it was filled with chairs that had obviously been stolen from naquag elementary school at some point, complete with gum stuck to the bottom and all. I remember the first time that I ever actually walked into Rutland Pizza with my then girlfriend's father and Dr. Hastings. We were officially fixing the organ in the Protestant church in the center, but unofficially, in the words of Mr. Martin, we were touring all of the worst dives in Central Massachusetts.

Even then I remember thinking that the place wasn't all that bad. They use the shreddy lettuce for their grinders... they can't be all bad. I love the little place. It is the classic, small town eatery.

I took Henry and Nora there tonight for their pick of grinders. Henry chose Seafood, an early favorite of his, and Nora chose Meatball, the standard. I chose tuna. I had a time that I was completely addicted to Italians when I was a teenager. The Ice Cream Barn in the center of Templeton knew the magical proportions of mayo and oil and they made one heck of an Italian. But, tonight it was tuna, small of course.

Henry and Nora decided they wanted to switch halves of their grinders. I love it when they team up like that. So, we ate. I saw a student there. I always see at least one student there. More often than not, its like 20 students there. But tonight only one. She waved. It was nice.

And that was that, nice, small, towny and perfect.

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Red witch

My Witch Hazel bush bloomed this week. I love that thing. It blooms in February some years... crazy. Chaucer took out all of his nervous energy on it and chewed all of the branches off but one... sad. But it is still there and it is still blooming. Bright red in winter.
I also ordered my seeds last week. This year's garden is going to be ... interesting. I had an awful time with tomato horn worms last year, so, I am giving my garden a year long break from tomatoes in hopes that that will starve off the hornworms. So, taking that as a launching point, I am having a primarily root vegetable garden this year. There are three exceptions to the rule. I am still planting cucumbers. I am planting cilantro, and Dill. (I intend to make pickles this year and cilantro is quickly becoming a must in this house). This years garden will include a few types, and colors, of carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, radishes, and parsnips. I also have a small herb row that will carry over from last year with some thyme and sage and a few other things. I love to talk gardens. I love to talk spring.

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a lot to say

Well, I seem to have come through a pretty low time here. Sometimes I go through these. Hopefully, we are all in the clear.

I have taken some pictures, but just couldn't seem to get myself in the right mindset to write anything... maybe I just should have posted the pictures. In the past... whatever. So here we go into the future.

We took the kids to Amherst this past Saturday. It was really wonderful, even better than I thought it was going to be. The short story is: we took them to Hawley's for lunch, tried to watch the beginning of the iditarod on my ipad at Mcdonalds, but it didn't seem to work right, went to the Yankee Candle Factory in Deerfield (that is where the pictures are from, more about that later), took them to Bueno y Sano for supper, then out to the faculty dance concert for the five college dance. I am so happy with my kids. They were amazing, and they seemed to really like the concert too. I am a bit surprised about that. But, especially Nora, took a real interest in each performance. Henry was interested as well, but Nora was really interested and even had picked out her favorite piece, not one that I would have picked lol, but I was surprised that she had already formed opinions about it.

I love dance. I don't dance. But, I love to watch it, at least at that level. Every time I walk away really filled and inspired. This is a really hard thing to explain to those of you that have seen only what is presented to the general public, but there is an underlying, what I would consider to be a purer, art form there that is amazing. Really love it, without embarrassment.

So, back to Yankee Candle. Those who haven't been, it is a big place that is set up almost as a mini Disney land of candles... haha. Well, that's what it is! The rooms are all fantastically decorated and it even snows in one of them. (That is what they are trying to catch in the first picture) Henry and Nora absolutely loved it. They were really amazed by the magic of it all. They even held hands spontaneously in some of the rooms, just caught up in the magic of it all. I really really enjoyed seeing them so blown over. Jenny was happy, I was happy. Just a beautiful day. And.... to top it all off, I saw Steve Gonsalves from Ghost hunters. He was shopping with some girl. Totally him for sure. I creeped out and snuck a picture of him... posted below. ;)

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