Those Who Don't, Think They Can!

Remember the saying,"Those who can't, TEACH"? I always liked to add that "Those who can't teach, think they Can. Afterall, we all went to school. Didn't what the teacher did look easy to us? She was the one who got to walk around the room all day. She didn't do any work, she made us do all of it. She even got to boss everyone around. When we finally grow up, although our perception of teaching has changed, it doesn't include the whole picture unless we've stepped into a teacher's shoes for a career. It's what's behind the scene that one never really "gets".
What DOES the teacher do when the kids aren't there? There in lies the real mystery which I wish I had the answer to before I started my teaching career. Are you successful? Do you have a career? Thank A Teacher! or better yet, Thank all of your teachers!! Oh, yes, there's one more thing. We don't have the whole summer off. We're unemployed!!! NO PAYCHECK until the middle of September.
If I had it to do all over again, I'd still be a teacher. Just wish more people appreciated what teachers did for them.

A Good Laugh

If you ever have a "rough" day and need a good laugh before you go to bed, tune into MSNBC and watch Keith O's show. Tonight's show gave me the best laugh I've had in a long time. Keith's subject which gave such a great "chuckle" was the judge and the A.N.S. trial. Keith was "right on" with his comments about the "circus" which went on in that courtroom. Even if you don't always agree with K.O. , his humor wins you over and you find yourself laughing inspite of yourself. Way to go, Keith!

High Tea

A friend and I visited a tea room a few days ago. It was quite a pleasant experience. We chose Milady's Tea from the menu. It consisted of finger sandwiches, scones, mini desserts, sherbert and a pot of tea which yielded at least 6 cups. We were in Teaberry's for almost 3 hours.
My friend needed a respite from a very busy and sad weekend. Her mother was buried the Friday before. The atmosphere and decor of the tea room were excellent. It brought one back to a gentler time when ladies wore hats and white gloves. In fact, hats from the 50's and 60's were part of the decor. My friend found a picture on the wall which reminded her of her mother. Luckily, it was for sale, and it may become part of my friend's memories of her mother.
If you'd like to step back into another time for an afternoon, I would highly recomment trying a tea room with a Victorian atmosphere and of course sharing the afternoon with a good friend.

I'm A Wannabe

Since my last blog was number 13, I've decided to write another. No, I'm not really superstitious. Afterall didn't I live in Apartment 13 for 16 years ?
What I am is a Wannabe. I want to be many things. I want to be an accomplished piano player. I want to be an author. I want to be an artist. I want to be a prize winning quilter. I suppose what I want is to be EXCELLENT at something. What I am is a "Jack of all trades" so to speak. Maybe the problem is that I dabble too much in many things and don't concentrate on one thing enough. Why the career I chose was Teaching. You know what they say about us. "Those who can't, teach". But then that's a whole other blog. I'll get to that some day, too.

Sandy, My "Best Friend"

Sandy is my male American shorthair cat. He has been living with me for almost 4 years. He is unlike any cat I've ever known before. He follows me around the house all day like a puppy would. Sometimes when I walk by him he'll grab my ankle in an attempt to get my attention. When I'm reading the paper he decides that that's a good time to sit on my lap. When I'm knitting, he tries his hardest to grab the knitting kneedles. If I open the Grandfather clock to wind it, he hops into the bottom of the clock. When I open the linen closet he crawls into the bottom of the closet. If I decide to paint a bit, he sits at my right side waiting patiently for some attention. When he doesn't get it he knocks the paint brushes over into the paint. He sleeps at the bottom of the bed at night, but by 3:00am he has enough rest and wants me UP. In order to stop his meowing I may move to the living room and sleep in the recliner. He seems to be happy with that until 5:00am That's when we start our day. At about 9:00am Sandy excuses himself and goes into the bedroom to nap until about 4:00pm. He is storing up enough energy so he can wake me up in the middle of the night again. And "The Beat Goes On..."

I'm Nobody's Valentine

The title of this blog would make a good Country & Western title for a song. Don't you think so?Actually, I have many good friends and a loving family and I don't really feel forgotten today, but I sent 13 Valentine cards out and didn't receive one in return which is what gave me the subject for today's blog. Maybe it was the number of cards I sent out. If I had stopped at 12 or had sent 14 I may have had better luck. I even sent a couple of email Valentine wishes. I know, all my emails will come tonight wishing me a Happy Valentine's Day! In case anyone wants to know, I've had a very nice day. I played the piano this morning and knitted a warm alpaca scarf for most of the afternoon. Light Classical music played in the background while I enjoyed my day. In case you weren't wished the appropriate wishes for today, I'd like to be the first to say--Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

On Losing A Parent

My friend's mother died this afternoon. She was in her upper 80's. You can never be fully prepared for losing a parent. It doesn't matter how old they are or how old you are. It's still difficult and something you don't know the feeling of until the day it happens. It's a great personal loss whether you're 6 or 60.
I called our mutual friends to tell them the news. The best thing we can do is to "be there" for our friend. In time, the pain of the loss will lessen and memories will sustain the grieving. I will always remember Mrs. C for the warm, caring person she was in my life. Her memory will live in our conversations as I hope to ease my friends pain and salve the spirit.
May she rest in peace.

The Crazy Thing About Crazy Quilts

Went to a quilting seminar today. The topic was Crazy Quilts. Some of the attendees did "Show and Tell". We had a chance to see some very old quilts and some quilts in progress. They were all beautiful and helped to inspire me. The seminar put the emphasis on the embroidery stitches which are used in Crazy Quilts. We were given a print out of some stitches and were told to see if we could stitch them. The "crazy" thing for me is that I have no idea how to embroider when looking at a picture. I had thought that the piecing of the quilt would be the challenging part but being " all thumbs" I found out that the stitching and embellishment will be the real challenge. I love the Crazy Quilt and feel up to the challenge, but I think I'd better find someone to teach me embroidery stitches so that the finishing of the quilt won't drive me---well, you know!

The Twenty-One Dollar Hairdo

Going to the hair salon requires time and worst of all, a small fortune. When I added up the cost of what I wanted my hairdresser to do with my hair, I realized it would cost me $150 plus a tip. In an attempt to avoid such a high price I decided to go to the local beauty school to have my hair done. The young gal did an excellent job. Her teacher was practically standing by during the whole process. I felt confident that this was not going to be a mistake which I'm happy to say, it wasn't. My hair looks great and I don't feel like I was "robbed". You see, I've begun to measure the price of things by how many hours I need to work to pay for them. If it requires more than one day's labor, it's no longer worth it. Why is the cost of things like this more than a days work? Doesn't seem fair.