'Tis a gift to be simple.
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The weather here has been brutal. Yesterday was so cold that in all of this quarter of the state only two school systems held classes, one of which of course is the one I work for. Yesterday was another day of indoor recess. Out of the the last six school days, the children have only been allowed to have outdoor playtime once. Oddly enough, the district superintendent has closed the schools today, though it's fifteen degrees warmer than it was yesterday. The children who stood outside to wait for school buses in -30 degree Fahrenheit windchill yesterday are home today. Some of those buses had a hard time making it yesterday, by the way, and ran up to a half hour late but today they, too have the day off. And if school were in session today, it is warm enough that we would be going out for recess, though if I set an ice cube out on the snowpiles, the temperature might fall that one degree needed to keep us indoors. It's snowing right now, which is Nature's confetti--it always tosses it around to celebrate the end of a cold snap. I Another way I could think of it is that the snow forms as the world exhales in relief when the icy siege is over. In this case I think it might be rushing it--it's only zero out and if the world wouldn't be so easy, I'd think it should hold out for another twenty degrees or so. Now for some warm weather fun! 
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6.2.07 18:59
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Words to live by
The deep freeze has finally somewhat let up and we've taken the kidlets out for recess both days this week. It's snowed both days and while yesterday was relatively pleasant, today's temperature edged down to that 0 degree fahrenheit windchill that would keep us indoors. It stalled at 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit, so out we went. The second grade teachers kept their students inside, believing that so many colds and cases of the flu were sent to school with their students that the children would be better off indoors, warm and maybe just a little bored. The ladies who tend the second graders were happy enough to sacrifice their time outside to stay inside with the children. I wasn't so lucky. My groups are third, fourth, and fifth graders and the wind picked up and temperature dipped down further as time passed. Some of the children in the last group were complaining that they were cold and I was just about to join them in whining when I heard one girl talking to her friend as they stood, backs to the wind, waiting for their fun time to be over. "We're strong women," ten year old Terry said. "We can do this." Her friend seemed dubious and said something in a minor key. "Suck it up!" Terry instructed her. "You're gonna be okay."
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13.2.07 23:01
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What's this "Day of Rest" business?
Sunday, the day God decided was for taking a rest after the labor of the week all but got away from me. There was all this pressure to do something, to go somewhere to have something to show for the day, for heaven’s sake, and make a meal worthy of a Sunday family dinner. What kind of day of rest is that? I almost got sucked into that kind of Sunday trumpery, too. I almost got up early to run around to places I dreaded going after working harder than I wanted to. I used to do those things and end up bewildered: how was I supposed to cook that roast and mash those potatoes, spend time with my family (whom I love, but who sometimes confuse me with the maid), and still have that day of rest that The Boss decreed? I’m going with The Boss on this one. I took my time leaving the house today and then only went to a shop I love going to where I bought pretty things I’ll enjoy making something else out of and then enjoyed a short visit with someone I know at a coffeeshop. That important business taken care of, I came home, pushed the louder members of the family out the door for some quality time together, and turned on some music and read a book I am enjoying very much. Dinner was popcorn and cranberry juice, which is what I had a craving for. I’m rested. Bring on the work week. I’m truly ready for it!
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19.2.07 07:01
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I've always hated Sundays and there's never been a reason not to. I won't go into all of them. I'm too deep in too much bad humor to be reasonable about it, so I'll spare both of us the whiney rant that post would be. My misery today seems to be framed almost entirely by sour opinions of nearly everyone I have to deal with. When I have a bad attitude about everyone else, I am quite sure that the problem is me, not them. And yet, my corrosive mood holds fast. 
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25.2.07 18:13
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Call of the mall? Arrg!
A record streak of mall-less months ended today. The V-neck of the blue sweater I was wearing for work really needed a necklace and nothing I own was quite right. Since my start time was a little later than usual I had time to go to my favorite store, the one that has parking right outside and merchandise worth owning inside. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted--a simple silver chain with a pretty silver something-or-other on it, nothing too fancy because I was wearing jeans, but something interesting to give me a little more of a finished appearance. As I said, I haven't been to the mall since it was Christmas shopping season. I thought stores would have returned to carrying sensible stock, What I found was that the store buyer must have gone to see the Pirates of the Caribbean one too many times. The jewelry department was stuffed with pirate loot. Multi-stranded heavy "stoned" necklaces tangled on the racks and were laid out in extravagent displays. If one stone would look good, then a whole garland of them looked even better to someone in charge, I guess. I wish I had chest enough to festoon with some of the creations. I wish I had a fairytale ball to walz at instead of a snowbound playground to slog around. I almost wish I was delusional and believed myself to be someone who flounced around a medieval court in full skirted velvet grandeur, weighted down with gemstones and gold. I'd be a good Isabella of Castile, for example. In the end I did find a graceful silver leaf that dangled from a delicate silver chain. Patty the Fourth Grader told me she liked my necklace, so I guess subtlety still has a place in the world. Those retailers had better watch out. Look what can happen to a person who surrounds himself with pirate treasure. 
Simple baubles, perfect for everyday wear. This is jewelry for the Amish compared to the selection at the jewelry counter today.
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27.2.07 23:22
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