Good Morning!
5 Days!!!! 🙂
Today’s header photo is from Kare.
*It’s now Sunday the 21st, so I believe someone has a birthday today.
Happy Birthday Linda. 🙂
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On this day in 1790 the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, RI.
In 1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the American Union.
In 1879 Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, NJ.
And in 1968 author John Steinbeck died at the age of 66.
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Quote of the Day
“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”
Dale Evans
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This one is a request.
And this one is because I like it. From King’s College Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aL9rKJPr4&feature=player_detailpage ______________________________________________
Wandering Views 
Beautiful day out in the milking parlor this morning. Sun was shining, melting the night’s frost. Fog was lifting from the canyons, nothing but blue sky above. The roosters and hens and blackbirds and sparrows and juncoes and whatever else were enjoying the leftovers from the sheep grain.
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We’re having a lovely spring day here in New England as well. Temps are in the high 60s today, & we are expecting temps in the low 80s tomorrow. (Not really looking forward to the heat, but low 80s isn’t too bad if the humidity is low.)
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He is Risen!
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He is risen indeed!
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Easter Monday here, but still a holiday.
I went to bed at 7:30 last night, I was so tired. I didn’t do that much so I think it was eating all the carbs at our Easter brunch. I don’t usually eat many carbs. I didn’t eat too much, but still more than usual. Glad I avoided that awful feeling when you have too much sugar.
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Such a peaceful morning. I was watching the fog silently move over the hills earlier.
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I did not avoid that awful feeling. Husband bought a lot of Easter candy before he decided to head out. He also boiled a bunch of eggs to decorate. I tried a bit of this and a bit of that and realized the fact I have not had any in months and that I am older, meant it was not a good idea. We ate the eggs without decorating them. Husband was in a fog when he agreed to go driving this time, did not even realize he was leaving over Easter. This may well be his last drive.
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We didn’t make any hard-boiled eggs to color this year. But I make boil some up just to eat.
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That was supposed to be “I may boil some up. . .”
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My new habit here is to crack each egg into a different bowl. The ones that they are getting in our store have been rotten. I had three rotten ones last week. I always look at the date on the carton. I put them down the toilet. and go get another.
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We always crack eggs into another bowl, especially store eggs. Once burned, twice shy, as they say. I do not like the smell of rotten eggs in my house.
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So what happens if you boil a rotten egg? I’ve never had a rotten egg, but would it burst during cooking? Would it boil but smell bad if you crack it to eat it? I always crack eggs into a separate bowl because you can see egg-shell fragments better that way, but I’ve never had a rotten one.
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I’ve heard you shouldn’t use an egg if there is any blood in it when you open it. Is that true?
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Nope, it is not.
As far as I know, a rotten egg will rise to the surface of a bowl of water so one would notice when setting them on to boil. The smell would probably be so bad, you would throw out the whole batch, but I don’t know.
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Still haven’t boiled any eggs, but I did have scrambled eggs for lunch.
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Okay, I did the plank for 50 seconds today. That is a record for me. So nice to be getting stronger. Archie is growing so I figured that I’d better get in shape if I am going to hold him.
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Good work. My pushups are kind of like a wavering plank.
Time to go get eggs and milk a goat and feed the rabbits and laugh at the sheep.
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Can’t imagine doing so many push ups. I am sorta trying pullups. There is a bar on the playground and I just hang for a few seconds. Wanting to get stronger without injuring my back. So working up to it very slowly.
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Mumsee, you laugh at your sheep? Baaa-ad Mumsee.
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oh, corny Cheryl
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Well, the things they do…
I am waiting for the rain to let up before taking my bike for a spin. I hope I don’t forget how to ride before it stops.
I am fairly certain I have no pullups in me.
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I agree, but I can hang by my arms for 5 or 10 seconds, does that count for a beginning??
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Absolutely. Being able to hang will develop the strength and then on to actual lifts. You go, girl! And I need to get out on my bike. My goal is to be able to ride around the block consistently. That is about four miles of ups and downs. And then I should be able to ride to and from town in the summer. But I am not up to riding in the rain yet.
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Did you survive the meeting, yesterday?
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Yes, the meeting went okay. Not sure that I had much to say, but wanted to connect and alert them to a few things. I found a book someone mentioned called ‘Smart, but Scattered’ that describes this child.
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I did hang for another 10 seconds today and did the plank for 45 seconds. My lower back is beginning to get stronger.
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Just helped another teacher move two carloads of stuff. Then take dog food somewhere and then back to where the dog was and they will walk it over. By the time I got home, my car was overheating. Now the neighbor wants a ride somewhere….
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Sounds like your car needs to strengthen those core muscles. Time for planks and pull ups! Isn’t it nice to be able to help somebody? For some reason, I did not think about people having dogs over there. Are they common? Do they have strays running around?
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We try and trap any strays, and, of course, the locals might use them for food.
Dogs are for companionship or for protection here.
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Couldn’t get the switch to work to open the hood nd add more water. I will go by autoshop today and see if they can do it. Also I want to find out if they ordered a new radiator for me. My car really didn’t like making two extra trips last night for the neighbor. They had a dinner for new folks somewhere else, she had the keys, but her food wasn’t ready. Then, once she let them in, she forgot I was outside waiting to take her home and get her food. oh, well
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I do enjoy helping others, which is one of the reasons I got the car. Just no fun when I am unsure about my car.
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How long did you have to wait?
I don’t drive anymore, but whenever I go somewhere with anyone, I bring some reading material. You just never know when it may come in handy. 🙂
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Spoke to an autoshop guy at lunch whose sons I have taught. Then I went down after school. I waited and then he added water and kept checking it out. I thought some parts were ordered long ago, turns out that they weren’t. Anyway, he really likes my engine and I told him I want everything fixed that needs fixing. So we made a list and he had me email it to him, which I already did. Hopefully the car will be fine until I leave. Then I would like to leave it at the autoshop to have all those things taken care of.
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It was kinda fun that his high school son came by and we got to visit and talk cars.
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We get to talk cars and football here. And every now and then I slip in something about plants. Just to remind him that there are other interests in the world. He knows I am not interested in the minute details of cars or football and I know he has no interest in plants. But then, he is going to be a crop duster and did take a floriculture class this year.
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Maybe you could tell him about goats. They do like to play games.
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I do that. He likes to take pics of the goats, and does say they are cute but insists he will never have them. He would turn our property into a giant garage or mechanic shop.
How much longer until you head out for the next break?
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Some folks around here have goats. One of Nightingale’s friends has a few.
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We were out milking the goat yesterday, when one of the lambs came springing by (they hop on all four legs and just pop up into the air). It chased a chicken out of its pasture and then turned and bounded back up to mom, as if to say, “Hey, Mom! Did you see me? I just chased that monster out of the pasture! I was protecting the flock! Did you see me? Huh? Did you see me?” Cute, we laughed and laughed.
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I head out for home on June 15. Have one night in Moresby, but capital of PNG, and then down to Brisbane for a night. I fly all the way home on Saturday the 17, arriving in LA before I leave Brisbane. Those time zones!
Monday morning here and off to school.
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Isn’t travel amazing? I did not do well with jet lag.
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That is partially why I did not come home at Christmas. A short visit doesn’t work with all the time zone changes. When I get home, I have trouble going to bed. Midnight in California is only 5pm in PNG.
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hmmm… there seems to be another 49 waiting for me.
Gotcha!
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I remember one trip, and it was the easy way. From Germany to California. We stayed with an aunt while waiting for a van to be ready. We arrived and I was tired but suddenly I shut down and she and uncle and my husband had the total care of my four children for three full days. I was completely out of it and have no recollection of the time gone. Weird and not something I wish to ever repeat.
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This talk of air travel reminds me of a comic I saw when I was a kid. A baby bird is saying to his mommy bird, “If God had wanted me to fly, He’d have given me a propeller!” 🙂
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Last time I hit the wall in LAX and could almost not function. Really wasn’t sure if I should get on the last flight of just an hour. I now know where to get food there and that milk and a banana will nourish my body without any consequences.
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I don’t know how people do it regularly.
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I think that it was easier when I was younger. My body just can’t take it quite as well as it used to. I am seeing some sunshine, time to be off to school.
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We had a beautiful sunshine day yesterday and today is starting off the same, though rain is forecast for the coming days. Farmers are still not getting into the fields.
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Mumsee, we’ve had rain nearly every day this year. A day or two off here and there, maybe occasionally three. Whenever it’s dry two days in a row, we mow. I doubt anything has been planted locally; there are large puddles in the fields, mini ponds really, and the seed would just rot. I don’t know what they do when it’s like this. We had an early, glorious spring, but it’s useless as far as crops are concerned. I’m sure it’s wonderful for fruit trees, but not for anything that needs to be planted annually.
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Rain here too. Mostly everyday. We get a few hours of sun here and there.
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Another sunshine day, though rain is expected later. But more important, husband is expected later as well.
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Rain here, too, today. We’ve had a pretty rainy spring, but that is good because we are pulling out of a bad drought.
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Still no farmers in the fields around here. If they are not in by mid May they can’t get crop insurance for the summer hail storms so that will change what they do plant.
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Gardens are having trouble here too. However we got sunshine mostly today, which meant no rain during our field trip, whilst we tromped all over centre.
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Taking those kids into the walk in freezer was a hoot. They actually started screaming when they felt how cold it was.
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Mumsee, praying for your migraine. Somehow wish that you could be in a quiet, dark place to recover. Also praying that someone would be around to help.
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It is hot here right now, but, as they say, wait and hour and it will cool off and probably rain. I can see the clouds coming in.
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I am back. Husband was here and handled everything just fine. I laid in bed and slept until noon, then took it easy the rest of the day.
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oh, so glad. You needed that rest. I know dark rooms help as it is bright lights that have caused the problem for me.
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okay, my rash is not quite so itchy, so maybe I will try sleeping.
I think that what I put on is scabies cream, not sure
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Sorry you had that migraine, Mumsee, but glad it resulted in you getting some rest.
Hope your rash goes away soon, Jo.
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It is so interesting to find this day with a new header picture each time I come on. Sorta changes things around here. But it is still Linda’s birthday! Does she never get older?
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I am getting rather stuffed on all the ice cream and cake we have every day. Maybe that is why most folk just have a birthday once a year.
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Blessed by another letter this week. This one was mailed on April 21, so only took three weeks. I leave in five weeks and it usually takes a month for a letter to get here. It is always so unexpected to find something in my mailbox, a pleasant surprise.
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I was wondering if there was time for another one. Guess we will find out!
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Still hanging around home as it is a teacher workday.
However I went to market this morning and bleached my vegetables.
I also bleached the walls of my shower. I had left bleach in there the last two weeks hoping my haus meri would get it done. I think that she worked on it, but she doesn’t seem to notice the lower walls in the shower. Done now.
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Also got on facetime and called one daughter who didn’t answer then called another. Her kids answered as they were all at work and school was out. Mostly what Jack did was make faces at me. At almost 12, when will he get past this?? I did think of some questions and got answers on what they were doing. Their school uses expeditionary learning and they both have some fun trips coming up.
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Mumsee, I was thinking of you this morning. I might bring some things I have that explain rhythmic writing. You just need a chalklboard, about four feet by four feet, or as high and wide as the child can reach and chalk. The exercises involve crossing the midline and doing certain shapes. It can help with certain things.
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Sounds good! Hopefully, ten (then eleven) year old will be cooperative. He does love to learn things, he just does not like the work output to be on his side.
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So, is Jo gonna be spending some time in Idaho?
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Not much, but it is sorta on the way home from picking up the van.
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We are the only listing on top posts that was not May of 17.
Those top posts are silly, except for us.
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Who is being silly?
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Whoever set up the parameters for top posts.
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Not me, I’m not silly. Except sometimes you need to be silly in Kinder to keep them on their toes.
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Another beautiful day in the neighborhood, though I can’t see much of it due to the fog.
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I like being silly, especially when it makes Little Guy laugh.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Secret Room mothers.
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Looks like a good evening for walking so I’d better get out there.
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Did someone ask me about speaking somewhere?? Can’t remember. I am just making friendly visits. I am willing to speak anywhere and anytime, but there is no need, unless someone wants to hear what I do.
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I did, in the last letter. I don’t know what missionaries do, though I know they show up at church once in a while, giving a talk on their work. I will enjoy your friendly visit. Any idea when in July it might be? The guest room is open, as long as you want it. And the shade under the walnut tree or in the poplars, or under the pines. Bike is available in case you want to go for a spin.
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The week of July 10th, Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. something like that.
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Now daughter 2 says she needs help in Colorado the week of july 17, so my trip might be a little faster. She has two in violin camp and they want a parent to be there with them. Plus another has a half day ballet camp and then there is also the 3 year old. Not sure I am going to want to fly away again so soon.
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Well, I would love to have you and get some time to get to know you in person and give you some of the peace that comes from living here, but I certainly understand that I am not on the way to anywhere so if it does not work, that is okay. But for now, I will hope to see you in early mid July!
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Told the principal this afternoon that two of my students really need to repeat Kinder. She asked some questions, but I know that she does not value my opinion, so am not expecting anything to happen. What do I know after all??
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This class has been rather wild. I am getting rather frazzled. Other classes are the same. The girl who used to be quiet, today wanted to climb me like a mountain. I am thinking that she needs some time outs. And then when she is acting up, others want to imitate her. Most know enough not to, but one especially immature boy does not understand.
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I am doing some DRA reading assessments. Amazing what I am seeing. One child figures out what to say, but does not look for meaning. He is Dutch and English doesn’t mean much anyway. Then one boy didn’t even think to decode the one word that didn’t follow the pattern of the rest of the story. Oh, my….
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Mumsee, praying for wisdom for both you and Mike as you deal with the situation that you put on the prayer thread.
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I am still planning on coming, Mumsee. I will be coming across on I90. Wondering what is the best way to get to you. Just cuz a road is on the map doesn’t mean it is a good way to go.
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The boy that is having so many problems in my class actually made some wise decisions today. someone is praying. Got to give his mom good news.
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Lots of good news on here! Just south of Missoula take Highway 12 toward Lewiston. In Kamiah, if you don’t mind steep hillsides, take highway 64 up to Baldus Rd and turn left. We are the second house from the end of the road. The one with all of the fences and animals.
If you don’t like gravel roads on steep hillsides, take 162 from Kamiah. It is paved but a bit curvy, nothing much. It will take you to a stop sign where you turn right following the signs to Nezperce. Then take highway 64 back toward Kamiah and turn right on Baldus (large silos on the left) and go to the second house from the end. That is the first house on Baldus.
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okay, just checked my map and that looks good. So fun to get directions. I love maps and have been looking through them daily. But I have no idea how long it will take to get anywhere. I did do one google search to somewhere and it gave me mileage and time, which was helpful.
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Well, I have seen it from the air, or from goggle air.
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From sunny day to rain, got my laundry dry tho. I awoke to sunshine so I quickly washed all the bed lines to have time to get them dry again. Always a little iffy here.
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Sun yesterday, ran today, but then it should start clearing up around here. Too late for a lot of the farmers, though.
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I am wondering how gardens are doing around here. That is the main source of food for families. Too much rain can hurt as much as too little.
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I once told my aide about how we can go months with hardly seeing a cloud in California, she could not imagine such a thing. Here we have a cloudy sky everyday. Sunny skies are what we have to wait around for or may only get for a few brief hours.
We do like the hot water they bring.
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Is it warm rain? In Okinawa it was often warm rain. You got wet but not chilled. And the humidity was a bit higher than here. Okay, a lot higher than here.
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Yeah, we never get cold rain. And the humidity is nice, not oppressive. Higher than California, but not that you feel it.
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I remember getting to Maryland the first time I had been east of Idaho and the humidity was stifling. The first time off of the airplane in Tokyo it was like hitting a wall of water. And then Okinawa, beautiful as it was, I wondered if I would be able to survive three years there. But soon it was just another day and all was well.
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We get pretty high humidity in the summer here in New England. It’s why I am not a fan of summer.
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Farmers finally planted here last week. We had close to a week without rain, and so it dried enough to plant, they planted, and then we got some really heavy rain Saturday night. Hopefully it was the right sort of rain to be helpful.
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We’ve had a very rainy spring, too. Recently, on a Facebook page for our town, someone posted a photo of farmers planting. We’re expecting another rainy day today, with more rain in the forecast throughout the week.
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Had fun working on numbers with my class today. I was very dramatic – You will never get this one! They were so proud of themselves. They built the numbers using cubes with groups of tens and loose ones. Then I had them write the numbers right below what they had built. Hopefully something stuck. I know they enjoyed it.
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I could never get the cubes to work though perhaps now, at eleven he would be willing to give it a try. He does not like games played by the rules. He does not understand competition. He thinks he should always win so he changes the rules to fit him. Try to do the cube thing? Whew, it was tough.
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I think that we are in the dry season now. Hasn’t rained for a few days, though it is looking like it may right now. As soon as it doesn’t rain, the rocks come up out of the roads. So much loose gravel makes it difficult to walk, so I drive.
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The cubes weren’t a game. We were just building numbers using cubes, having tens and then loose ones.
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Yes, I understand that but he did not get it. He thought it was a game and could not get passed that. I was trying to teach him tens. Oh, well, we have moved on. Now we are trying to get him to say eighteen rather than one with and eight. He is getting there.
We are supposed to have a potential for rain and thunderstorms possibly. That is vague. But I don’t really hold them to their forecasts.
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Just downloaded all of the files on rhythmic writing and on the Barton program. I want to study them while I am home. I discovered them on the school internal site here. No warnings or anything, as I know they are copyrighted. Very glad to have it all on my computer. Now I need to do a way overdue backup of my files.
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Got something done for the next school year this morning, parent letters. I took it to the vp as he will have to mail them later. He started throwing a fit about he couldn’t deal with that now. I felt like dirt. At the end of the day, when no one was around I went and told him that I had had a bad day cuz he made me feel like dirt. He apologized and then justified himself by what he thought I was asking him. At least I communicated.
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It is not easy dealing with people. I am so looking forward to being done here. But I know God expects me to move forward in the work.
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Even when going to sleep, I kept fussing about it in my mind. I knew I needed to pray for him. Others have also mentioned how he deals with them. I am asking God to touch his heart and let him be more sensitive to how he is dealing with folks.
He begins staff emails to us, ‘hello wonderful teachers.’ Just treat us like we are wonderful and I will be fine.
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Just went to a mini craft faire down the hill. Got some things for small gifts. Now the bamboo etchings are in the freezer to kill any stray bugs. Australia likes to keep those out.
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I enjoy craft fairs, though I don’t enjoy the chaos and I tend to desperately need everything so I don’t go.
I need to keep reminding myself to pray for my children rather than get frustrated with them. It has been such a help since Becky stepped forward to help with fifteen year old daughter. They sew together, make rootbeer floats, go to the store, etc. She is such a grandmother for her and she cares about her eternal side as well. Daughter did give her a bit of a view of her panic side yesterday when the car to bring her home was not back on time. But they got through it.
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God is moving me to pray for the vp at school. If I felt so bad on Friday, others must be suffering too. The answer is to pray and, perhaps, give quiet responses as the Lord leads.
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We have been commenting on her daily, so I am not sure how we have managed to fall off the top posts list.
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Time to get baking, beginning with the carrot cake as the cheesecake recipe says to leave it in the oven with the door open after it is done.
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We had carrot cake with cream cheese frosting yesterday, but it was from a box. Son got to make it for his birthday.
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Did Son make it himself, or did someone else make it for him?
Nightingale loves to bake (from scratch), & will bake her own birthday cakes. But this year, she was too busy around her birthday, so we bought her a Pepperidge Farm Coconut Layer Cake. Those may be “store bought”, but they are really good. Even Nightingale, who loves homemade baked goods, likes them.
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It was quite the success. We had the carrot cake for morning recess and sang to the birthday girl. I left it out for the employees to finish off. At lunch I surprised everyone with the cheesecake. They were very impressed. It was delicious and I had several folks take some home. I even took a container so that the gal I was honoring could take some home. They moved into the guest house yesterday. Now they can focus on cleaning up where they were living.
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The birthday gal is very special and I wondered if others would do a lot for her. I gave her a small gift too, water balloons that I had gotten in Australia. She said it was her only gift. I have had some hard birthdays here, so I want to do all I can for others at school. It makes such a difference.
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He read the instructions on the box, added them, used the mixer, greased the pan, I poured and placed in the oven. Oh, and he cleaned the oven before we started. I self cleaned it, he wiped out the residue.
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I am surrounded by family but rarely get a birthday present. It is ok with me. I have always been a horrible present giver so I rarely give anything but books. This past birthday, I gave son the One Hundred Cupboards series by Wilson. I was brought up in Christ by his grandfather and I enjoyed what I read in other books of his. I also got a circuit set for him. I gave him a smaller one a year ago and he uses it a lot. This one focuses on wind, solar, water, etc energy. Interesting and he has already spent hours with it. Maybe I am getting better.
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We don’t give each other birthday gifts anymore, but will have a special dinner & cake.
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There was some cheesecake left today. I had a small piece, just right. I am finding I need to eat very small amounts of sweets to be able to enjoy them.
I gave a piece to the gal who gave me the recipe and the birthday girl still had a piece left. A teacher said, ‘I’ll take the last piece” which I handed over.
Someone else came in later and looked longingly at the cake. too bad.
We had the largest lunch crowd that I can remember today.
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When my mom was alive, most years I would get a small birthday gift from her. (It seemed she stocked up on those small gifts you can buy through some banks for $1 or $5 each, because gifts from her tended to be such things as toiletry holders and keychain flashlights.) In Chicago I had one friend with whom I exchanged gifts, and she and I took each other out, as well. In Nashville I had a friend who took me out for my birthday, and vice versa. I get gifts and cake again now that I’m married, but I may or may not get to “go out” for my birthday, since that doesn’t mean that much to my husband (he refuses to let us take him out) and I feel sort of guilty asking. I think we’ve gone out more often than we haven’t, though. But really, being able to sit down for a meal with someone is probably the most important part of the “event” for me, not the gifts or the cake. The notes on cards can also be meaningful.
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I love giving gifts. Mostly if I am around the person and figure out something that they would want. I enjoyed giving my daughter the pianist hymnal. However to have to give a gift is terrible. If I have an idea, great, if not, why bother.
I have a trunk full of gifts to take home. I will probably give them when I get home instead of waiting for occasions.
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Started cleaning my classroom today. And I even put two grades on the report cards. I plan on skipping the staff social on Monday evening. I don’t need the dessert or the goodbyes.
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Jo, some people “need” goodbyes and some don’t. I’m one who does . . . and I’d feel loss, and lack of closure, if someone to whom I needed to say goodbye wasn’t there. (If everyone is coming back next year, it could be different, but not if someone is leaving and actually saying goodbye.) You could go and consider your presence a gift to those who need the goodbye.
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When we were in Greece and Italy, they thought it very strange for anybody over childhood to have a birthday celebration or gifts. I am kind of on that page.
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I did not do those socials nor do I do church potlucks. Husband does. Works for us.
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Someone came to my classroom today to visit with me after school. He had walked all the way across centre from the store with a chocolate ice cream cone for me. I don’t eat the store kai bar ice cream and never have chocolate anyway, but, after that sacrifice, you do what is polite. Forced myself to eat it. Not bad.
This fellow is leaving next week and I support he and his wife, so she wanted to know how I was doing, but she didn’t come. Nice visit.
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And, when the cone is already dripping, you eat it quickly.
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I will go to the farewell on Sunday afternoon for one teacher who is leaving. Just not the official party. I have other reasons also. Just not comfortable going this time.
Cheryl, you are right, though, goodbyes are important here.
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Raining today, so I may not need to do any watering. Or any weed eating. Or mowing. But I suspect it will not last long, though it is supposed to rain some all week. Then it will be back to work.
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God moved me to take some chocolates and to write a note to the teacher who is leaving on Monday. So today was her last day. I don’t think that anyone else even noticed. or said goodbye. Sad
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People often are busy in their own worlds so it is nice when somebody is listening to The Voice and moves. I am one of the oblivious ones, but once in a while, I hear something and it may seem odd to me but when I follow through, life seems a bit better.
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Perhaps I was the one for this couple. They came here to help us out for a year. We were desperate for finance people and her husband has been the cfo.
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Looking back, it is beautiful to see how God has worked, placing people here and there where they were most needed. It will be wonderful to see the larger picture if we are given that.
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Kind of like that song where the singer meets his old Sunday school teacher and others who impacted him and where he impacted.
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In church they always mention who is leaving and who arrived. They mentioned this couple and how they came for the finance dept. I raised my hand and said that Beth taught at the Primary school. She later thanked me.
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That song always made me cry. Foggy and rainy out today. I haven’t heard any planes, so I imagine my friends and my flatmate are huddled up at aviation waiting for it to clear.
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why, lookee here, there seems to be another 49 just waiting for me. Glad all of you young’uns stayed away. 🙂
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Just looked, as she sent me her travel plans to print for her, and their next flight to Sydney leaves at 1:25. It is 8 here now and the flight to POM is 80 minutes. Hope they don’t have to wait out the weather for too long. Also glad that I didn’t do a flight out on the same day, which I usually do.
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I heard their plane right after my post was up.
A good day at school. We held ice cubes while they melted and watched one on the cement. Then we found out about absorbing and repeling water. Fun to put drops on all sorts of places, beginning with their hands.
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We ate ice cream. After church, we stopped at the grocery store and bought some ice cream bars for the afternoon. Even though we were all together for the selecting and purchase, they were surprised. And delighted.
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I cry with that song as well and wonder if Heaven will be like that or not. Doesn’t matter, it will be wonderful.
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Indeed, Mumsee.
Since I am the kind of person who is anxious in new situations, especially when I don’t know what to do, I used to be a little nervous about Heaven, imagining myself not knowing where I was supposed to be or what I was supposed to do. (I assume when we say “Heaven” we mean the new heavens & new earth we will live in eventually.)
Then it occurred to me that love will be perfected in eternity. Even if it were possible for me to get confused or lost or whatnot, I need not fear being looked down upon or laughed at. Someone will come along, put their arm around my shoulder, & say, “Here, Sister, let me help you,” (I am crying a bit as I type this.)
I recently read something, I think it was from Randy Alcorn, that said we won’t even feel bad if the rewards of some are greater than our own, but we will be so happy for those who get the greater rewards. (That’s good, ’cause I don’t think I’ll be getting much of a reward. But I will be with my Savior, & my brothers & sisters in Christ, which will be reward enough.)
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another good day. We did sink or float activities. I will still giving instructions about how to do it, when one group had already thrown everything into the water. Oh, well.
I gave them foil and had them see if they could make it float. A few knew to make it into a boat.
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Karen, that is where I am. Confident in Him to make it perfect for even such as me. God is glorified forever. God used Randy Alcorn to help me reach that stage. I am sure He has much more work to be done in me, but I am certain He knows what He is doing and how to get it done.
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Just a short staff meeting today. Just one little paper to hand out, outlining our science curriculum. Not too bad for some, but it entirely changes the kinder curriculum. I mentioned it would be hard to fit in in the kinder half day. The principal says, we want kinder to go to full day, but we won’t ask you to do that. Oh, thanks, instead you will ask me to leave??? So glad she will be gone the next two years. Only two teachers at this meeting will be here next term, so who will make all of these changes??
Can I tear my hair out now?
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God will accomplish His purposes. We can only do what is before us. At least, that is what I keep telling myself when I get frustrated.
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The day with my class went well. I appreciate the prayers as God is constantly modifying my plans and giving me new ideas.
However seeing two emails regarding my report card comments almost ruined my day. I just stayed away from email and ignored them.
Now I am home and should do something about them.
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Were the comments from parents? Sometimes parents can be a bit defensive.
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No, they were from the principal wanting me to add something that I had never realized she thought was needed.
Also criticizing something I said about American money being a struggle. We don’t teach American money, just money. Yeah, right, have you looked at the curriculum???
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Finished and so glad. It was a good day.
Now to begin packing.
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Looking forward to your visit! Did you get the last letter with the phone numbers?
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Nothing yet, but I have several more days.
Went to school for the grade six reception. I was first so just went quietly into my darkened classroom and started taking things down.
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We have nothing but rain for the next week or so. Good things we got lots planted yesterday.
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Looks like it may be raining out there now. When I got up there was brilliant sunshine. Our weather never stays the same for an entire day.
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Last week we had rainy days with temps in the 50s. Then it was in the 70s for a couple days. Today we are expecting it to get up into the 90s.
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oh, I am regretting that I went outside without the mosquito repellant. I have it on now, but that is after lots of bites. Okay, maybe only a few, but with using Rid daily I haven’t had any for quite a while.
Caught another rat and listened to it banging the cage all night, but he was caught!!!
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The past week we were in the high eighties to early nineties, we are back to fifties. Funny how it works.
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Waiting for this headache to go away before I head for a few errands and a last day at school. I seem to be getting a cold. I found more of the meds that I am using on my rash, so don’t need to go by the Clinic.
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Had a very sharp, sudden earthquake here this morning. I quickly got dressed thinking I might have to head outside. I did stand in a doorway. Usually we have gentle, rolling quakes that gradually build up. This was very different.
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Earthquakes can be alarming to terrifying, though I have only been there for alarming ones and “was that an earthquake” ones.
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God has been very good to me in the timing on this trip. I was going to leave next week, but it is election season and they advised us that it would be better to leave earlier. So, I began looking at flights for this week. We fly our own planes from here to the capital and they fill up fast. The only one left with room was tomorrow at noon, so I will overnight in Port Moresby then on to Brisbane. I am realizing that I usually don’t sleep much at all the night before a flight, so this will be wonderful. Plus it feels like the just right amount of time to get ready. And then to have a quiet evening at the missionary guest house, will also be restful, though they were robbed just a few weeks ago. The someone is picking me up in Brisbane and taking me to their home. Last year was so much stress that I got sick in LA. This will be much better.
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Just found a lovely letter in my mailbox, telling me all about some birds and folks. It even included some phone numbers.
I will be in touch.
Blessings
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Timing. I am glad God handles that part. Looking forward to your visit! Enjoy your flight, and may God give you His peace throughout.
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Amen!
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Well, Jo ought to be joining us in real time soon.
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Here we are. Waiting to hear how the flights went this time.
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Hard to believe there are only two more days to this school year for Little Guy. The years go by so fast, & seem to speed up the older I get.
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Schools out for the summer! Except we keep working on it here and there to keep up the skills.
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Little Guy is super excited about summer vacation, as you may imagine. He was up before his mother this morning, so he came downstairs to hang out for a while. I was still snoozing, but aware that he was here. I’m glad he’s at an age where I don’t need to worry about him getting into things.
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Forgot to come on here. My computer won’t let me so have to be on this iPad
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Funny to see the correct date on my post
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All over jet lag already?
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I was up until 1 last night, but I got up at 9. I am getting closer
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Time to figure out what to do about a phone. I am thinking of getting an old iPhone as I can use it in PNG
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I need to start remembering to carry my phone around again. It is not something I think about unless husband is out of town and then it takes me nearly until he is home again to remember.
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Still planning to come out this way? Plans firmed up any or is it still sometime after or on the tenth?
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Thanks for posting as we fell off the list and it is hard to find on an iPad
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Plans probably won’t be any firmer until I start driving and see how long it takes to get anywhere
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Cricket has a new phone that I may get on Monday
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Phones are annoying, but apparently quite useful.
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I try to check the messages on the land line at least once a day.
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Are you having fun yet? Or still in the jet lag fog?
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Nice day at church. Daughter, who no longer attends, both weeks made a comment about how I didn’t have to go. Puzzling, does she not want me to go?
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It is good that you were able to go anyway. She probably feels some small bit of guilt or regret or freedom for not going and wants to share the feeling.
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I agree with Mumsee. If you don’t go, it may kind of assuage any guilt she may have for not going.
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Oh, my goodness! I just noticed how close we are to a new room!
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Isn’t it time?
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For a new room?
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Open ses a me
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Nice to be out of the heat.
Grandson just spilled chocolate milk all over the floor of the coffee shop
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Oops!
Chickadee had a couple spilled milk moments in restaurants when she was little. She wasn’t doing anything “bad”, just accidentally knocked into the glass or cup. Nightingale once dropped a watermelon in the grocery store. That was a mess!
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I won’t tell you what second son did in the grocery store. But it involved a diaper and a breastfed baby and he was sitting over a cartload of food supplies.
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I came on here to find a new room and to read that it is nice to be out of the heat. Had to go back to check if there was a thermostat problem in the old room. Guess Jo was talking about something else. It was ninety five here yesterday. I took the small folk swimming and told the swim pool staff not to let fifteen year old swim. I did not tell them but he does not believe he needs parents and they have been letting him swim without a parental permission slip. Does that reinforce his belief or not? They make all of the rest of us sign some liability form but the one child who needs the community support the most gets a free pass? They have sent home children before who went in before the form was signed, with the form so we could sign it. But they just let him swim? Poor little fellow…if your folks would just love you enough and see what a wonderful child you are…..
But he has made some improvement over the past five plus years. He no longer wets his bed or stores urine in his room or food in the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom. He still is dishonest and takes what is not his and is a threat to the smaller children and, though he does get home by seven thirty, he rarely eats more than three meals a week here. That would be three breakfasts. Seldom that many. Strange situation. Warehousing, what the social workers ordered. Not my first choice as evidenced by the past five plus years of effort but we are where we are.
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Mumsee – You don’t need to fill in any more details about 2nd son & the grocery cart. I get the picture, & it is not pretty. The watermelon wasn’t so bad after all, I guess.
You’ve previously mentioned about 15 year old being a danger to the littler ones. Do you think he will end up being a pedophile, hurting other children in his life?
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