Freetobeme

Pixie - you have to use the letters in Jo's name to say something nice about her.

Teaberry is getting a bit dangerous with her hugging!!! Here's another dose of smelling salts. Ok ladies, we have to do it for everyone's safety. Grab Teaberry's hands and let's tie 'em nice and secure. Set her over there in the corner until she settles down a bit. All this hugging has her a bit over enthusiastic. Anyone have a nice calming tonic? Or even a shot of vodka?

Teaberry, you naughty girl!!! It's a good thing I have the smelling salts and know CPR. Let's get them revived. Send them up to the Sunporch to meet Moongoddess and have some chocolate cake I left up there. Really, you don't know your own strength!

Let's see who has been hugged. I'm a little behind in my hugging it seems!!!

I guess I have a knack for trivia. I scored 10 out of 10!

Spalding is an excellent and low cost phonics program. If you want your child to learn to read, read to them and read to them some more! I home schooled my three who are all grown now. I teach 7th and 8th grade and routinely have 3 or more ADD and ADHD kids as well as EH in one class. If your think your ADD son drives you up the wall try having several of other people's kids with those problems in one classroom of 30+ kids with various needs from 2nd grade reading level to gifted and assorted family, behavioral, and emotional problems! I would much rather deal with one ADD child on a one-to-one basis. At least then they can be taught coping strategies and have a very regulated diet, sleep, and exercise program to help with the problem. Good luck with your home schooling!

Sorry I haven't been on in awhile. I've been up and down the road moving stuff. We finally got a lot of rain up here, shortly after the fire was out! Unfortunately, the rain also brought hail which damaged the garden . I'm still not all the way moved and there's still work to be done on the house before I can sell it, but work starts the 23rd. I guess I will be spending even more time running back and forth. Oh well, it has to be done, why complain about it? It can't last forever!

Today or tomorrow (depending on how quickly my son gets his vehicle ready to roll) we have to go to Payson. We are moving his Blazer up there since this house is going on the market and he will be at sea soon. If you've noticed in the news, the biggest wild fire in AZ is now burning just a few miles west of Payson. There are huge plumes of smoke and ash is falling on the town. So far it is just moving north (23000 acres and growing), but if the winds change or thunderstorms kick up it could quickly swing east into town. I've told my mom that she needs to have important papers, medicines, clothes, etc. ready in case she is required to leave, but her response is that the fire isn't going to turn toward town, 'they' always give lots of warning to people if they are going to evacuate, and it only takes her a few minutes to get her stuff together! I used to think she was sensible. I know that with a fire 5 miles away in tinder dry forest it can travel a long way in a short time with the right winds. It can be "You have 15 minutes to leave." And I know how long (hours) it can take her to gather up her stuff to come for an overnight visit! I'm just hoping that this one passes Payson by. From the photos I've seen on TV there are an awful lot of trees that were killed by bark beetles between the fire and town. That's scary!

Well, today is my last day at school. My kids usually wear uniforms, but for promotion, they can wear regular clothes within certain guidelines. They all look so grown up! I did have to send one young lady home to change because she wore hip huggers and an short shirt. Oh well, they signed a dress code agreement so should have known better! I don't want to have a contracted teaching position in Payson this year because we are looking at property in Snowflake. Things have just fallen into place it seems. The fellow that supplies my mom with wood want to buy her place because it is an acre of commercial property where he could have his business. We are going to look at a place outside of Snowflake as soon as it can be arranged. We have an investment that is paying out soon, so all of our ducks seem to be lining up! As for teaching, I'll probably sub next year. I don't know if I want to go back full time. I have too many other projects I want to pursue. Right now I have 3, maybe 4 books I want to get on paper. I also want to turn whatever farm we get into a profitable enterprise. Most of all I want to spend time with my mom while we still have time. My kids get promoted at 8:15 then I clean out my room, turn in my keys and stuff, pick up my last check, and I'm officially unemployed!

This is my last 'real' day at school. Tomorrow we are just here to get the kids through promotion exercises (at least for the 8th graders). We ran them through rehearsal today and right now my class is playing dodge-baseball with a big nerf ball, playing cards and signing yearbooks. I have most of my stuff packed and will load up my truck tomorrow. Then, I'll be going to Payson for a few days. Leaving is somewhat bittersweet. I'll miss the kids, but I'll be happy to be in Payson.

Temp today is supposed to be 112. No rain. Still working on the house. Yesterday we put in a new bathroom door and hung some closet doors. With the prospect of getting property in Snowflake, and the fact that I've resigned from my job, I'm getting very motivated to finish this house and sell it. It's definitely time to move on! Just three more days of work (my students graduate on Wed.) and I'm 'unemployed'.

Today is another hot one, about 110

My mom doesn't like hotels and would never be happy in a nursing home. She will live out her life cared for by me on a small farm in a peaceful place. I hope someday at least one of my kids will do the same for me. We even plan to be buried (no muss, no fuss) on our property. (Yes, it's legal to have a family cemetary. You just can't ever sell that plot of land for anything else.)

I'm 43, single (twice divorced), with three grown children. My daughter is 26 and out on her own. My oldest son turned 24 Friday and the youngest son in 19. Both boys are in the Navy. The oldest is a hospitalman in San Diego and will be shipping out to Okinawa in Sept. The other one is currently in Dahlgren, VA and will be transferred to San Diego in July to serve aboard the USS Shiloh as a fire control tech (fire as in missiles not flames). I currently teach junior high science, but I turned in my resignation last week. I will be moving to Payson, AZ (up on the Mogollon Rim) with my mom this summer. We are looking for 40 acres in the Snowflake area (White Mountains). I grew up a farm girl, but as a teenager was moved (unwillingly!) to Phoenix. I've been trying to escape ever since. I have a house that I bought inexpensively and am remodeling for re-sale so I can get out of debt. As for critters, currently I have a beagle mix, a yellow lab, a border collie, and two cats. I am also keeping my oldest son's chihuahua and cat, and my youngest son's shepherd mix. I also have a king snake and a tarantula at school. I enjoy quilting, sewing, gardening, raising animals, writing, reading, carpentry, photography, cooking and preserving, hiking, shooting, and many other homestead type activities. I just acquired a spinning wheel and plan to have angora goats for fiber. I would also like to learn to weld. Our homestead plans include being self-sufficient and off the grid ASAP. When my children were younger, we home schooled. The older ones got their GEDs and went to college where they did quite well. The youngest wanted to go to high school for NJROTC. He entered a year early and did well, then went to college for a year before joining the Navy. He and his brother are top of their classes in training. (Yes, I am a proud mom!)

Are you getting too much rain, or not enough? We have been in a drought for years now. We need rain! Is it hot? Cold? Is your weather on track or unusual? The weather is a bit toasty and dry, but it is a usual weather cycle for here. I am assuming about three more dry years before the low pressure systems start hovering over AZ again bringing rain. Are you planning a vacation this year? No, too busy and gas is too expensive. I am taking my mom fishing at a local lake. Gardening? Yes. Puttering? Finishing the remodel so I can sell my house. Fixing things for mom. Canning? If the garden and fruit trees make. Other preservation? Jellies and jams, maybe some drying. Might buy some grapes if the price is right for raisins. What's your personal goal for learning a new skill this summer? Outdoor cooking? Sewing? Learning to relax more? I watched an excellent video on primitive skills. I want to learn how to make fire by friction. I'm also reorganizing my life to simplify, simplify, simplify and pay off debt.