Mollie

Drove to Cranston today to visit my 99 year old card playing friend, Mollie. Everyone should be blessed to know someone with her spunk and charm. She leaves Saturday to spend the winter in Florida, so this was our final chance to visit. Luckily her daughter led me back to Route 2, winding through the parking lot of Garden City Mall. ( I would never have made it otherwise.) Stopped by Trader Joes in Warwick on my way home and ate 2/3 of an entire bag of orange chicken for dinner. It was delicious. This is the first day I noticed leaves beginning to change along 138. A couple more cold nights and it will be fantastic!

Click on Blue Box with Fish

One More Filled

Today was a perfect day for getting out in the garden and digging up more of those ever spreading Siberian irises, serpentine crabgrass roots, and dead black eyed susan flower stalks. This is the time of year that I'm constantly clipping and cutting ... getting my garden ready for the inevitable cold. I love cramming yard waste in the 50 inch high brown paper bags, slapping a sticker on them, and carting them to the dump.

No More Birthdays

While unwrapping my two pink and white cosmetic boxes I made a shocking discovery. I was so tired when the skin lady was massaging my face that I didn't really listen to her... I just liked the way my face felt when she was done and bought the products. If you want to stay forever young I recommend you contact a Lierac consultant immediatly. The first product I bought was Concentre Mesolift, a toning radiance serum with vitamin C. The second one was Creme Mesolift, an "Anti-Aging Radiance Cream that energizes, replumps and illuminates" (face only... no replumping of missing or sagging body parts!) Now that I have such a product .... all of my future birthdays are cancelled. I'm getting younger... just like Benjamin Button. P.S. Jane, I'm not going to post a photo. Just look at my baby pictures.

An Unlikely Beauty Queen

Yesterday I subbed at a nearby middle school. The actual classes were fun and no one had to be written up, but I wore a pair of sandals that ruined my left foot. It was killing me as I walked in the local mega sized drug store and spotted two comfortable stools in the cosmetic department. Women in bright pink coats were giving free facials and hand treatments to customers sitting in those chairs. Not wanting to pass up a freebie, and needing to get off my throbbing foot... I sat in the chair ... You can probably guess the rest of the story.... But before you laugh too hard.... the gorgeous women in bright pink coats assured me that this was the best product on the planet... it came from France and aren't all French women beautiful??? Nothing would plug my aging pores and they just happen to be giving coupons worth $9.00 AND if I bought one product at a time I would get a $10.00 coupon from the store after my first purchase.... which I could use on the second one.... Not to mention the beautiful bright pink cosmetic bag I would get for free... and the free samples all brightly packaged to tempt me even further... and the Beauty Club Member Card. I spent so much money that I only need one more pink dot before I get another free coupon for 10.00 towards more cosmetic purchases. And when I walked in that store all I wanted was a bottle of ibupropen for my aching feet....

Lost in a Maze

First half of my day at the local HS was fine because kids were good. Second half left me exhausted and vowing never to step foot in the institution. One guy refused to do the work, (no big deal) but refused to give me his i-phone and kept texting and listening to music. I knew I should call the vice principal, but there were no phone numbers anywhere and I couldn't leave the room. Not to mention the fact that I was at least 1/4 mile up and down hallways and stairs from the office. The last class of the day was a doozey. One student went to sleep. Another set an alarm on the nearby stove and told me it was a fire alarm. ( I caught that pretty quick.) Another male refused to sit down and kept wandering all over the room. A second male told me he didn't have to do work because he was a senior... and "seniors don't do work." I pretty much tried to ignore them while trying to maintain order. When I left the classroom I felt like an oddity, because all of the students were bigger than me, or so it seemed. Never was I so glad to get outta there. When I got to my car I noticed a pink half sheet tucked under the wiper. "This car is not registered with the office and will be towed at your expense." It was signed by the vice-principal that I needed earlier. Of course, no one told me I had to park in a specific spot. That school is off my list!! (And we didn't even cook!!)

Subbed

Today was spent at a nearby elementary school that I had never worked at before. The floor plan was confusing, so I kept getting lost, but other than that it was great. Teachers and principal were friendly, kids seemed happy and the day went quickly. I always pat myself on the back after having a good experience at a new school. Last year new sub situations freaked me out. Tomorrow I'm the home ec. teacher at the Senior High School. Hopefully we'll be cooking...

Two in a Row

Two mornings in a row spent on Narragansett Town Beach with Theo and Teddie (and Carol on Monday.) Weather was high seventies, no rowdy summer crowds, clean water and gorgeous waves. True beach lovers hit the beach in September... On the colder days I've been fortunate to sub. A good mix of work and play.

The Perfect Party

Friends and family celebrated Teddie's 27th b-day at Misquamicut Beach this afternoon under a bright sky. Simple meal of Calvittos calzones, fresh fruit, water and the requested 4 layer pumpkin cake was enjoyed with a minimum of sand in it. Hopefully Teddie will post pics... I was busy running with Theo, cutting the cake, and playing catch with Matthew. Tomorrow I'm going to Narragansett Beach... it's supposed to be even nicer than today. Wish you were here, Ted.

Substituted

Yesterday and today I subbed at local middle schools. I enjoyed both days but came home exhausted and admit to sleeping from 3-6 today. The work itself is not physically taxing, but I woke up at 4 am both days and could not go back to sleep. Now I will probably be up half the night.

To Swim Like a Seal

Abandon yourself.
Frolic.
Dive thru breaking waves
tucking your flippers in tight,
Or catch the perfect wave
riding it till
your belly scrapes the sand.
Ignore floating seaweed
loosed in recent storms.
Instead beware of
fast boats with sharp propellors
plastic bags that look like jellyfish
and sleek sharks with razor teeth.
Every so often
float
motionless.