After being a substitute teacher for a room full of second graders yesterday, I decided that I needed a day off. So I stayed home and hung out with dogs. Shelby demonstrated relaxation techniques.
It snowed throughout the day, so in the afternoon, the dogs and I went outside to play and enjoy nature. Even 12 year old Nikki likes to lay down in the snow.
Zekie, foster dog Claire, and Baxter (rear).
Shelby stayed indoors to watch the house, but all the other dogs went outside to play. The preferred game is frisbee.
Cassius prefers a rousing game of jolly ball.
Zekie is a snow dog and will play anything you want to play.
I am recharged. Spending time with dogs always reenergizes me. Next week will bring more subbing adventures and I will be ready!
This was my second day of substitute teaching ever. Today was a full day of second graders. The kids were sweet, and very helpful. But they NEVER STOPPED TALKING! I was administering standardized testing for half of the morning. I asked them to stop talking. They didn’t. I firmly told them to stop talking and asked why I still heard talking. The volume reduced but there was still talking. I told sternly told them to stop talking and explained that this was individual testing, not group testing, and they were bothering their neighbors while they took the test. The talking momentarily stopped. Then I heard the following comments, each from a different individual: I know, I can’t hear when he’s talking. They shouldn’t be talking, they aren’t allowed to talk. I told him to be quiet. They know not to talk. Etc. So we had talking about not talking.
And then there was the “can I go to the bathroom?” and “can I go to the drinking fountain and get a drink?” I must have heard each of these about 20 times during the course of the day. Add to that, trying to figure out how to make the computer display on the classroom screen, and where all the various supplies were located. Whew!
The photo taken above was before I left for school this morning. The photo below is me after lunch. Did I mention I had cafeteria duty?
I hope that building up a tolerance to the younger kids constant talking and demands will happen quickly.
There are good times too. Like reading a book about the Titanic to the kids and seeing them sit with rapt attention to hear what happened next. And watching the joy on a face when they get the right answer.
What really makes it all worthwhile? The one little boy who ran up to me after he returned from art class in another room, gave me a hug and said he missed me.
It’s back to school for me. Except this time, I’m the teacher!
As one of my new job options that I’m exploring, I am working as a substitute teacher. Today was my first day. I had 7th graders and it went pretty well. I do tend to like kids this age. I started with an assignment that was only a half day. I thought this would break me in slowly and give me time to take care of that pesky, mandatory paperwork that every job requires.
My subject was English and the teacher prepared well for her absence and left instructions for what the kids were to do. The morning passed with me receiving only one eye-roll and only having to say once “please don’t assault your classmate”. (This was just a couple kids good-naturedly snapping each other with their fingers, no real violence.)
Tomorrow I am giving 2nd grade a try. I’m sure this will be quite different so we’ll see how I like it. I think I will enjoy the kids and this is part of my “give them all a try” plan. One nice aspect is the school day is much shorter than what I was used to working as a scientist. I am only there for seven hours and this includes lunch.
After spending a full day in the class room tomorrow, I will let you know if seven hours still seems to be a shorter time!
After I retired from my job of 32+ years as an Environment Scientist, I always knew that I would move on to something else. I just wasn’t sure what it would be. I decided that my best move would be to try everything! You only live once, right?
Then I took a test to be an on-line proofreader. I need to do a little brushing up on my grammar before I can pursue that option. I will continue to pursue it.
Another career option is, I have always wanted to write a book. So I started doing it! This will take a while and any pay off would be quite a way down the road. I am writing two books so I can switch back and forth between them depending on which one I am in the mood to work on. Both are non-fiction and I am drawing on my life experiences to write them.
Recently, I checked into the possibility of taking a position with a group that has you take a working border collie and chase geese off of airport runways, golf courses, etc. for their clients. The current opening is too far away for me, but I did fill out an application in case they have a position open up nearer to my home.
One of the other options I had considered was teaching. So, tomorrow will be my first assignment as a substitute teacher! I am very excited. This photo was a few years ago when Shelby & I were volunteering to read books to kindergarteners for an hour each month. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to this new job tomorrow. Unfortunately, Shelby will be at home.
My first class will be middle schoolers. I like to work with this age group as they develop their personalities and discover who they are. There is a chance to affect their lives and motivate them. I plan to try a class with each grade at some point to discover just which age group I prefer to work with. I’m sure they all have their positives.
I do not know what I will end up focusing on in the long run, but I am enjoying the journey. I still have other options to try. Life has so many possibilities and opportunities that I can’t decide where to point my energy. I know I will figure it out. The process is the point of this journey.
The freshly laundered, large greyhound size bed has been commandeered by the cat.
This bed takes a few days to wash, reassemble, and get back in service because there are four large cushions in addition to the cover. I thought the dogs would be thrilled when it was back in service. So far, they have not had a chance to use it. The cat has been on it all day.
Orange Kitty does weigh 22 lbs. but that is only bigger than one of our dogs. At least he is appreciative.
I enjoy seeing what other people are reading so thought I would start my own reading list for 2020. I will comment on what I have read at the end of each month this year. Below is my list of books and magazines read for January 2020. I will also share with you a recommendation of which book was my favorite and why.
Books Read January 2020:
1. Noel Street-Richard Paul Evans
A struggling young mother of a biracial child helps a Vietnam Veteran overcome his emotional troubles after the war.
2. Everybody Has a Book Inside of Them-Ann Marie Sabth (Non-fiction)
The author coaches you through deciding what your book is and gives inspiration and advice to write it.
3. Midnight at The Blackbird Café-Heather Webber
A young woman inherits her grandmother’s café and learns about her family, herself, and the legend of the blackbirds.
4. The Oysterville Sewing Circle-Susan Wiggs
The main character takes in her friend’s two orphaned children. This book is only peripherally about sewing. The scope covers a much larger issue.
5. The Enlightenment of Bees-Rachel Linden
The main character breaks up with her boyfriend and travels to foreign lands as a volunteer, having many adventures along the way.
6. Aussie Rules-Jill Shalvis
Love and a mystery with an Australian sidekick.
7. The Second Worst Restaurant in France-Alexander McCall Smith
The main character goes to a small town in the French countryside and has numerous unlikely adventures.
Magazines
O Magazine (Oprah)- December 2019
Magnolia Journal-Fall 2018
National Geographic December 2019
And the winner is…The Oysterville Sewing Circle-Susan Wiggs! I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. It has a social message and awareness for us all to benefit from. The characters were also realistic and I found myself rooting for them. The main theme of the book took me by surprise and was much more than I expected.
In the spirit of brevity, I did not give in depth descriptions or summaries of the books. If this is something that you would like to hear about, leave me a comment and I will offer more details in the future. Thanks for reading!
In addition to banana time, we also occasionally have orange time at our house. Our dogs love fruit. Well, except for Baxter, which is why he is not in the photo.
Even Claire, the foster girl on the far right, is getting into the act. Dogs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C, so I suppose this is not a bad thing. They only get a slice or two so as not to get upset tummies.
One of my favorite breakfasts. Or lunches or suppers for that matter. Pancakes!
These are blueberry-chocolate chip. I find the ones I am happiest with are if I use Bisquick. I do add a little more liquid than called for so they spread out and I can make a bigger pancake.
I generally use almond milk for the liquid, but regular milk, or even eggnog are good too. I like to add in either vanilla or almond extract for extra flavor.
Then I jazz them up with add-ins like blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, or maybe puréed banana or canned pumpkin. If I make pumpkin I also add molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, plus chocolate chips. This makes them similar to pumpkin pie.
The humble pancake can be turned into so much more
Me, Claire the foster dog, Cassius, and Baxter in front of the pillow.
The preferred activity around our house lately has been watching the Australian Open. For those who don’t know, this is the first of the four major tennis tournaments of the year. The tournament spans two weeks and we watch as many of the matches as we can. It is down to the semi-finals now so we don’t want to miss anything.
So this is how I watch tennis. Claire the foster dog is in my lap. She is very snuggly and this way I know where she is at all times. This saves me from jumping up every few minutes to see where she is and what she is chewing on. So far: the earbuds to my iPhone, underwear, slippers, numerous paper napkins, and a pencil. Usually I get to her before much damage is done. And really it is my fault. Claire tries to be good. Given her past experience before she came to our house, she just doesn’t understand why some things are toys and some things are not. And she looks so heartbroken when I scold her for chewing inappropriate things. It’s as if she is saying, “awww, I got it wrong again.” She is learning now if I tell her no-no that she should put the item down and that will be the end of it. I am at fault for letting her have opportunities to mess up. We will get there.
Cassius lays beside me and puts his head on Claire. He wants to emphasize to us all that Claire may be on my lap, but I am his mommy!
And Baxter is on the couch because we are and, well, the couch is soft.
A better way to watch television is not to be found. Retirement rocks!
Does Zekie still suffer from separation anxiety? I would have to say yes.
This is Zekie waiting for daddy to come home this morning. He was only gone for an hour. To be fair, Zekie didn’t hurt anything. He just waited, and waited…even though I was still home with him.
Zekie doesn’t need to go in his crate if one of us is still home. He just gets forlorn, not destructive as long as someone is there. When he becomes aware that someone will be leaving in a minute, he grabs a bone or toy and tries to entice the person to play instead of going out the door. If that doesn’t work, he can even chomp the bone at you and bark with it in his mouth. You can tell he’s saying, “wouldn’t you rather play with me and have this bone than go away?”
Well, generally, yes we would. But unfortunately, life calls.
Sanctuary Acres 