Exceeding Expectations

Every so often, perhaps once a year or so, I get a tickle in my throat that won't be denied. When it happens? I absolutely have to cough, and often tears stream down my face, and I am rendered speechless for up to a minute. And when I can actually talk again, my voice is strangled and hoarse. It can definitely be alarming to witness.

For some reason, this only occurs when I am teaching, as it did today, and how the students react can be a litmus test. This time, we were in the middle of our opening routine, where students are posting and talking and guessing. I use the time to check in with each kid and to let them know that I see them, and we can have fun learning together. But today I had to use that time to tend to a coughing fit that neither water nor drops would abate. 

To their credit, the class waited quietly, allowing me to pull myself together, with a few expressions of concern, both genuine: Are you okay? and not: Are you dying?

Before the incident, I had set up a mostly student-led activity, and I bade them to continue, which they did. And here is where they really shined-- when left in charge of their own learning by a [seemingly] incapacitated teacher, they took the reins and carried on admirably.

And on the sixth class of the school year? I could not have asked for more.

Scratching her Head

Our cats get a monthly box of treats and toys in the mail. Sometimes we question whether we should continue the subscription, but they really seem to appreciate it, Tibby in particular: she's never met a cat toy, cat treat, cat structure, cat anything she didn't fully embrace. Heidi, too, enjoys opening the box each month. She likes discovering the theme and seeing what clever little items the curators have pulled together.

This month the motif was "Back to School" which was kind of bittersweet for us. Even so, Heidi examined each item with appreciation, a couple of catnip crayons and a little stuffed composition book. One thing had her stumped for a minute though. It was a rectangular purple crinkle mat printed in segments with colorful images of boiled eggs, baby carrots, mushrooms, and a salmon steak. "What do you think this is?" she asked.

I recognized it immediately. "A cafeteria tray," I laughed. "But I've never seen a school lunch that looked like that!"

Natural Solution

We had a few fruit flies around the kitchen, which wasn't surprising given the bounty of our garden lately. When I was at the garden center last week getting the supplies for my cactus pups, I noticed a cute little Venus flytrap on display. It was a bit expensive for a wee little thing in a tiny plastic pot full of sphagnum, but I've long wanted to own one, and the fruit fly situation gave me just the excuse I needed.

In just a day or two, the minor infestation was over, so when I had several lazy houseflies pestering me in my classroom last week? 

I was tempted to go in search of a bigger plant to take care of the problem. I've seen Little Shop of Horrors, though, and perhaps turning to carnivorous plants to address pests might be a bit of a slippery slope.

Still the One

Heidi and I are invited to the wedding of a close friend and neighbor at the end of October. We're not really at an age where we are invited to many weddings, and it's an evening event, so wardrobe has been a bit of a consideration. We ordered some dresses from Nordstrom to try, and although I liked mine, Heidi didn't like hers or mine, so I returned hers and kept mine for now. 

It seemed the more she looked, the more frustrated she became. "Get ready," she told me, "if I don't find something soon, I'm going to fly to Buffalo and go shopping with my mother."

I did not consider that a threat. "Maybe you should," I shrugged. "But what are you looking for?" We started talking about dresses from the past to try to figure out the answer to the question, and reliving some fun events as we did. When we got home, Heidi slid open the far side of the closet, pulled out a navy blue dress, and put it on. It was perfect! It fit well and looked great. Problem solved.

And most remarkable of all? It was 30 years old. She had bought it, with her mom, to wear to, what else? A wedding.

There Will Be Fall

It's hot. 

Our temperature has been in the 90s every day for nearly a week, making it the hottest five days in September on record. When I go out at night, I'm reminded of the years we lived in Saudi Arabia: a wall of warm darkness wraps around me. 

And yet. 

There is a quality to the light, some unrelenting element missing from the direct sunshine, maybe even a hint of concession in the heat that lets me know it cannot hold.

It is September, after all.

Plumb Inconvenient

Right before we walked out the door this morning, the clasp on Heidi's necklace opened, and it slipped down the drain. There was nothing we could do at the moment, but the specter of an unusable bathroom sink greeted us as soon as we got home. 

And so I did what many homeowners would do in this internet age: I looked up a DIY video online, then cleared out the cupboard and took apart the trap. I freed the necklace and cleaned out a disgusting clump of hair, too. Not how I pictured using my afternoon, but when you own pipes? 

Sometimes ya gotta fix 'em.

Wake Me Up When It's Over

The first activity of the second week of school on the morning after a four-day weekend was for all the sixth graders to file into the theater for their semi-annual safety assembly. The 350 or so of us sat quietly as the administration went through an hour-long litany of rules and expectations.

To be honest? I was surprised at how well-behaved the students were. Then I saw a few nodding off, as I wished I could, too, and I understood. They weren't being particularly good, they were just semi-conscious.