Validation

In a week filled with family drama, household catastrophes, and oh, yes, standardized tests, Heidi headed reluctantly to the obedience class that she and Lucy are taking. An hour and a half later she arrived home with bright eyes and a big smile. Seems like both of my girls were at the top of the class today-- each received plenty of praise and positive feed back. Hooray for them!

And really? That's usually all it takes to turn a tough time around, at least for a little while.

Noted.

What a Drip

"Your washer's not leaking, Ma'am," the technician informed me. "The spring is broken and water is splashing over the top." As he spoke, he gestured toward the washer, stripped of its outside panels, the tub swishing nakedly along.

"Are you sure it's not any of the hoses?" I asked dubiously. "There's some water on the floor right there."

"All the hoses are fine," he assured me.

"There's water coming through the ceiling down here again!" Heidi called up.

He went down to check and returned looking alarmed. He turned back to the washer with the flashlight on his phone. "Ma'am," he said, "I have some bad news for you. The whole tub is cracked."

I looked at him and at the washer. "That's a lot of water in there," I said.

And...

it's
still
dripping.

Like it Is

"How come you haven't taken the candle I gave you home yet?" a student asked me this afternoon about the gift he had given me for teacher appreciation week.

"I have it on my desk so I'll remember to do that," I told him. "In fact I'm going to put it in my bag right now, and then every time I use it, I'll think of you..."

He smiled.

"And I'll think That guy was so smart, but he never did his work!" I continued, looking him dead in the eye, as he sat there not working.

His eyes widened and he frowned. "Hey!"

"But you can change my memory right now!" I said, "C'mon over here and get some work done! It would be a shame to ruin that nice candle!"

Sidekick

A rusty-feathered robin startled me more than a few times as I was weeding this morning. Whatever bugs I was turning up were so irresistible that she kept hopping within inches of me. If I could have? I would have put her to work! As it was, a whole flock of her friends took over the plot as I headed out the gate.

Bon appetit mes petits oiseaux!

Hourly

The thought of weeding out the garden and preparing it for planting has been weighing heavily on my mind-- so much so that I have been having anxiety dreams every night. It seems like too huge a job to fit into this busy time of year. This morning, though, when I woke at 5:30 and stayed awake, I decided that I would go to the garden for an hour, no more and no less, before the day hit 90 degrees as it was expected to, and leaving plenty of time for the other things on my to-do list. And my plan worked perfectly. Between 9 and 10 I stacked all the tomato cages and stakes and filled four contractor-sized bags with weeds. I gathered all the pots and milk jugs that had blown into our plot over the winter and placed them neatly on the shelves by the shed so that their owners might claim them. Oh there's a still plenty to do, but it will be less after my hour there tomorrow morning, and I think I'll sleep soundly tonight.

Appreciate It!

The Friday of teacher appreciation week found me dancing with my students in reading class. It was a whimsical combination of Jolly Rancher Challenge and Friday morning silliness. "This is why you're my favorite teacher!" a student said.

"That's just the Macarena talking," I laughed, "but thanks!"

"No really!" he insisted, "And you're my mom's favorite teacher, too!"

Now that was some good news, because kids? Are fickle! But parents? Can make your life easier or harder, and I prefer the former!

Pulling Out the Stops

I bought it on a whim.

Ten delicious flavors boasted the bag of Salt Water Taffy sitting by the checkout line. Why not? I thought, It might make a nice change from Jolly Ranchers.

Oh my! The taffy was a hit. Soft and chewy and just sweet enough to please any sixth grader who was able to complete my challenge today. "My mom used to make taffy for us," I told one student. "You have to pull it while its still warm to get the texture right. It was fun!"

Just a few minutes ago I found myself searching for taffy recipes online. Reading directions is important, you know, and maybe my little test prep group could use some hands on practice.