Monday, August 17, 2009

School Shoes



First of all, it is time to put my school shoes back on and enter the hallowed halls of learning. Yep, tomorrow morning I'll be with all the other teachers, sitting and listening to pep talks, going to lunch, moving books and complaining about school computers. Last night, when I was tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep, I realized that I just need to figure out a good way to love the teachers. I already love the kids because ... well ... they're kids. Sometimes I let my disappointment in the work environment get the best of me. But part of the problem is I just want to stay home and do my own thing. I know I'll have a miraculous change of attitude in a matter of hours . . .

My new refrigerator was a bust today. They came and they pulled it out of the truck and . . . sadness. It was the wrong one. So now I wait for another week and a half for the right one. Grrrrr. Good thing the old clunker we have now still works. As I was cleaning, getting ready for it to come, I found this plate that Jeff made in preschool. I hung it above the sink.

AND
I have many short stories to read as you can see.


Sorry for the randomness of this post - but can you believe this bug that was in the bathtub this morning? Isn't she pretty? A katydid, I think.



I had to take a few shots of my flowers before I'm gone all day at school. The roses are in their glory!


Look at the sneaky little sunflower that grew so quickly just behind the peonies!


And the more dramatic variety!


Nine more weeks until PUMPKIN time!



I bought this when I was at the gift shop/post office to mail SuKnitWitty her wand prize. I thought about putting it in the package, but I kept it for my little birdie. Sorry, Sue! Birdie was so cute when she saw it . . . cautious and a little frightened. She soon began talking to it. "Hello, little birdie!" And then she pulled it off its perch and I had to use Gorilla Glue to repair.



Everyone else has seen the hawk in the backyard, but I kept missing it. He came by tonight to say, "Have fun at school, Mrs. M!"


The rain is POURING down tonight. We had some mighty claps of thunder and now Bill and Jeff are sitting out in front admiring the big drops hitting the pavement. I'm going to iron my clothes, arrange a few things, and write a long prayer for my school year, my relationships there, and thank God for one of the best summers I've ever had. Thank you for reading, my dears. Could you do me a little favor? Could you comment and tell me one thing you remember about eighth grade? Everyone seems to remember something about this pivotal year and I think reading your memories will inspire me. xopp

19 comments:

dixymiss said...

ThanX for popping by for a visit, Pom Pom. Oh yes, you are quite right about Starbucks eXorbitant prices ~ yikes!

Bradley W. Maston said...

I remember mr. poole telling us why all the required reading was crap. That was marvelous. Then he gave us good books to read. Great times, a little bit of authenticity goes a long way, eh?

The dB family said...

Love those shoes!!! Wow they would be fun to wear!

I asked my husband if he remembers anything about grade eight. He promptly replied, "I had the lead role in the Christmas play. I had to sing a solo."

All I remember is loving my graduation dress. A white eyelet sundress with a pink sash and a little white eyelet sleeveless jacket to go over it. So sweet!

I will say a little prayer for you tomorrow morning as you begin the new school year.

Blessings!
Deborah

GretchenJoanna said...

Oh, too bad about your refrigerator--that happened to my father, and it took several tries before they brought him the right one. It seemed they were trying to get him to buy one he didn't want.
About 8th grade....It was the year we had a new girl in class and in school who ended up being my best friend.
God will be there with you in the classroom, AND in the teachers' lounge. Try to remember to listen for Him. <3

GretchenJoanna said...

Are those your school shoes?

Pom Pom said...

Ha ha! I have been accused of wearing clown-like shoes, but no my school shoes will be much more ordinary!
My eighth grade memory: growing zinnias in little milk cartons on the classroom window sill. My friend and I tended to them and talked constantly. I deserve noisy students!

Kerri said...

Great shoes! Your garden looks lovely too. I'm jealous of your sunflowers! Thanks so much for your lovely comment about the birds I screen printed. You really made my day, especially because you put into words the same feeling that I had about them but much better than I could have said myself! Good luck going back to school x x

Elizabethd said...

Tell me what 8th grade is. We do it differently in UK.

Helen said...

Back to school already - it doesn't seem possible that the summer hols are coming to an end already, although I think that here they have another week and a half to go yet. A slight tinge of Autumn is in the air though and if we had had wonderful weather, summer wise, I would be getting ready to looking forward to it. As it is - could we have a long Indian Summer please.

renaissance said...

Hope school goes well for you and I hope that they get the fridge delivery right next time, hate it when stuff like that happens.

libbyquilter said...

thank you for your visit and encouragement.

i really can't remember a single thing about 8th grade at the moment . . .

love the shot of the little green pumpkin peeking out~!~

hope you have an outstandingly great day~!!!!!~

:)
libbyQ

Elizabethd said...

Thanks for the explanation, it's not too different from UK after all! Primary school goes to Y6, and then off to secondary school, till age 16. Some schools have classes up to 18, otherwise one goes to 6th form college.
As to my 14 yr old self.....such a shy person, hating to stand out in any way. All I wanted to do was to read!

Rosie said...

Hi there thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment - I love your red shoes and those dark sunflowers - hope your first day back to school goes well:)

Simply Stork said...

those are the best shoes EVER :o) (lol)

~simply~

Kelli said...

That bug is disgusting, not lovely, Mom. I don't know that I can ever take a bath in there again knowing that that ugly green thing was in there rubbing up against the tub. Chills. Ick.
I remember sweet friends and the last year of, what felt like, sweet childlike ignorance. As much as middle school is icky, I think it's still somewhat of a reminder of being young. High school, overall, is better, but it's the beginning of adulthood. Sigh.

...Nina Nixon... said...

Those shoes are gorgeous!

Nina x

Angela said...

8th grade - aged 13/14 - was in many ways quite fabulous. The year I got baptised, I started preaching, I knew I definitely wanted to be a maths teacher - oh and I had my first real crush on a boy!! And Mrs Gosling was the most inspiring teacher on the planet!

On the downside, I was sure I was always going to be 4'11½" tall and have a 31AA bust forever. 40 years on, the height is the same, but after 2 babies I do have a better chest now!

Left-Handed Housewife said...

8th grade is when Shawn moved into town and became my best friend--she was the beautiful one and I was the smart one, and together we laughed and laughed.

I will keep you in my prayers and pray especially for you to love your fellow teachers. As one of my favorite theologians, Barbara Brown Taylor says, it's easier to love humankind than actual humans. Been there!

frances

Baley Petersen said...

Hmmm....8th grade? Well, I was still pure and innocent in 8th grade. I didn't misbehave until 9th grade, at which point I started skipping school and being an ordinarily lazy teenager.
But 8th grade...8th grade was good. I was finally top dog. I was headed to high school. By far the best part of that entire year was the graduation ceremony. We voted on music and program styles and color themes. It was the first time my peers and I were united as a force. We felt that we had some power in our hands. We thought that power only pertained to streamer colors and graduation songs, but we were just beginning to learn what we could do as a team.

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