Look What Came Early!

I like to eat mints when I'm bowling; they keep me sharp and, coincidentally, curb my appetite, so all I do is bowl, bowl, bowl, bowl, bowl.

My favorite brand is Ice Breakers. I stumbled upon their pleasing hockey puck-sized packaging last December when a teacher I was supposed to observe canceled when I arrived at the school. I had an hour or so to kill before my next appointment, and a big-box home improvement store sat next to a big-box general merchandise store right down the road, so I stopped at both. I bought some fun new holiday lights at the first, and then, while I was browsing the aisles at the second, my eye fell on Candy Cane-flavored Ice Breakers. Considering my next observation was in 45 minutes, breath mints seemed like a good idea. 

Wow! Were they good! I tucked them in my satchel and slipped a couple in my mouth before every observation from then on. Candy Cane was no longer available when I needed to restock, so I settled for spearmint, which wasn't as good, but better than peppermint and much better than wintergreen.

The habit first transferred to keeping a tin in the car, then to keeping another in my bowling bag. They are good in many situations: substitute teaching, testing, before working out, etc. Lately, though, spearmint has been in short supply, and I'm running low. Recently, it occurred to me to order them online, maybe even in bulk, and when I sat down to do so yesterday, there was just enough crispness in the morning air to make me wonder if it might be time to switch back to... Candy Cane!

And sure enough? It was! Eight little pucks full of mints arrived at my door this afternoon, and I don't think its a minute too early to start celebrating.

Spoiled

It wasn't that long ago that I was complaining about how deserted the neighborhood seemed after the federal government radically revised its teleworking policies. Then, I missed seeing my neighbors as I walked Lucy each early afternoon.

Well, that attitude has shifted. The three of us saw well over a dozen other dogs and their walkers on our 45-minute jaunt this afternoon, and maybe it's that my little neighbor dog, Berto, is a little more reactive than Lucy? At any rate, my shoulder wants to know where the hell they all came from and why they weren't at work.

For What Ails You

Lucy has been suffering from a particularly nasty bout of bad belly; she even had a rare inside-the-house accident that prompted me to replace the living room rug. Heidi carefully curates her diet and supplements, but none of the usual interventions have been effective.

"I think it might be time for a visit to the vet," I sighed this morning, but after some discussion, we were still on the fence about spending hundreds of dollars on the usual inconclusive diagnosis and treatment plan.

"There is a last resort," I said. "I can cook her favorite meal: hamburger and rice, and maybe we can get a can of pumpkin, too."

"Do we have any butternut squash?" Heidi asked. "She LOVES it when you steam that for her."

We did indeed have several squashes fresh from the garden, so I went ahead and peeled, diced, and steamed one of those, then I sautéed some organic 93-7 ground beef, and cooked a batch of Jasmine rice.

"She licked the bowl clean!" Heidi announced after dinner. "Fingers crossed it will take care of the problem."

Yet another testimony to the power of a home-cooked meal!

The Right Clothes

"Is the picnic still on?" a neighbor texted about the event at our community garden.

I looked outside; it was pouring. The steady rain from the Nor'easter moving up the coast was expected to last all day, but before I could reply with the certainty that our gathering was canceled, an email hit my inbox.

Yes, we WILL have the picnic today! We encourage you to bring your beach umbrellas and other items for this purpose. Please come and celebrate - and if you can't face the rain we will have a hamburger, hot dog, or veggie burger for you to pick up around 4 pm in your to-go box! 

 Why? There's no good rain date for the party planners. NOAA says it's to be 1/10 of an inch of rain. AI (ala Duck Duck Go) says that means slightly wet surfaces without leaving puddles. Typically that means a light shower lasting 30 to 45 minutes. 

My shopper today dares it to rain on our plans! We know you have rain clothes - time to make it worth your purchase! Still time to grab a rain poncho you can recycle when done.

The picnic did go on, but without me. Fellow gardeners shared pictures of folks in foul weather gear gamely munching on burgers at picnic tables sheltered by collapsible canopies. I guess I just don't share that brand of crazy.  

From the French, "Retirer"

After the success of our visit to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, my friend Mary and I took another little retirement field trip yesterday. This time, we went to Planet Word in downtown DC. 

Since its opening in October 2020, I have received many, many promotional emails from the place, which is understandable, considering that I am an English teacher and it is dedicated to literacy and learning. Even so, when I was actually teaching? I never felt like I had time to visit, despite several fun-sounding activities and events, but now that Mary and I are both out of the classroom, we have the time and opportunity to check the place out.

It did not disappoint! The museum has three floors of fun, engaging, interactive exhibits that explore the history and use of words and language. We played games, took quizzes, sang karaoke, designed advertisements, interacted with presentations, and watched videos as we worked our way from top to bottom. Our fellow visitors were a mix of families, couples, and small school groups, ranging in age from about 3 to 70-something, and everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time. The staff was great-- young (so young!) friendly, and informed.

As we were on our way out, the woman at the front desk had obviously overheard our conversation. "Are you teachers by any chance?" she asked.

We laughed. "Retired!" Mary told her. "But that didn't stop us from thinking about how we could have used this place to support our lessons."

She nodded. "I hope you're enjoying your retirement!"

"To be honest?" I said. "Being here without having to worry about 100 middle schoolers was definitely a lot more fun!"

That's Right Honey

I was grumbling last night about tariffs and how they've affected clothing costs. A woman of simple tastes, I've worn my fleece-lined flannel shirts to tatters over the last ten years. Both of my favorites have holes in the sleeves, nubby fleece prominently peeking through frayed flannel, and all I want is a replacement. Unfortunately, the famous outdoor outfitter I bought them from has redesigned them, adding pockets and swapping the buttons out for snaps. 

In a pinch, I might be convinced to go with the newer model, but not for a hundred bucks a shirt. Yes! One HUNDRED dollars for a flannel shirt. Heck, I thought they were overpriced back when they were $39.99. 

"Why don't you look on one of those thrifting, consignment sites?" Heidi suggested. "Or eBay?" She shrugged.

Ding! An angel got its wings! 

After a cursory search, I found exact replacements for the shirts I have loved to shreds on eBay for twenty bucks each, and they will be here next week. I almost choked up as I clicked the Buy Now button. Imagine! Replacing the clothes I love with exact copies for a fraction of the price. Now that's good technology.

BSN Redux

There are a few things I REALLY don't miss about being a teacher. Besides the long hours, which were really why I decided to call it quits, the one thing I never liked was Back-to-School Night. It was always so awkward and weird and rushed and tiring and and and. BSN is tomorrow, and I'll miss Heidi when she's there, but I won't be sad that I'm home.

On another topic, one of the things I love about this blog is that it offers me an anecdotal record of the last 17 and a half years of my life, including all my recorded thoughts on Back-to-School Night. It was kind of fun and illuminating to review them, and if you have any mind to do so yourself, just click the tag at the bottom of this post.

And as for the occasion itself, at least I got some writing out of it!