Good news....Bad News...

It's been an eventful few days since I last wrote...today I'm tired but at least I'm relatively calm and at peace. It's another grey gloomy day with thunderstorms expected...but the breeze is warm. I've got laundry started, dishwasher started and have done my morning bus route.

Good news...there was showing of my old house on Tuesday and the couple is possibly interested.

Bad news...the house had been broken into...door left wide open and there was a wild duck trapped inside.

Good news...the duck was successfully chased out of the house.

Bad news...the duck left droppings in most rooms throughout the house.

Good news...I have friends who were there for me yesterday when I had to deal with break-in news and who will help clean up tomorrow.

Bad news...house is not yet sold.

Good news...realtor is having another open house this coming Sunday...Good news - we didn't have to cancel or reschedule the Open House due to break-in.

Good news...there wasn't much of great value left in the house.

Bad news...most of what we know was taken was owned by the realty company and used for staging.

Good news...realtor isn't overly concerned about what was taken and is not pitching a fit about it.

Bad news...I was so upset over that and the fact that a young dad was killed in an unnecessary motorcycle accident over the weekend that I was completely unsafe to drive my bus route yesterday afternoon.

Good news...there was a good sub driver available.

Bad news...bus broke down.

Good news...she was at school when it broke down.

Bad news...no seat belts on the spare bus.

Good news...I had student driver again this morning and students behaved fairly well.

Good news...I had the opportunity to lay out for them how disappointed I was in behavior for last two sub driver's they've had...and my expectations for the ride this afternoon.

Good news...I was out taking pictures in the woods with Dipstick the other night.

Bad news...I am falling asleep here at the computer so therefore pictures will have to wait.

Good news...I'm home today and as soon as I finish loading dishwasher I can take a nap. So...I'm away.

Last night I enjoyed a lovely walk with my husband. All 3 boys were at church youth group - B had planned on going to work in the shop after supper but had a hard time getting motivated. He suggested the walk - we went down the road aways, then over to the closest lake - saw birds nests with birds sitting on them and some sort of hawk flying around. We came back home through the woods across the road from our house - checking out all the downed trees and looking at the "forest" floor flowers. (Love the alliteration there!) From there we took the truck over to his mom and dad's to borrow a harrow to do our yard so we can seed grass this weekend (we hope). I drove it back...which doesn't sound like much until you realize it's stick shift and it's been 20+ years since I've driven one.

I got home later than normal tonight as Squirrel had a home track meet. He did very well in his events - the 800m, the 1600m and the long jump. Unfortunately my camera battery was almost dead so I only got a couple of pictures.

My afternoon bus route went better than I expected it to. I'd earlier this week had some issues with threats being made from one student to another one and some relatively minor vandalism. The vandalism came first followed by the threats. It's a very frustrating situation as I feel rather like the principal this year is not listening to me - granted she suspended the student from school for 1 day for the threats and from the bus for a day for the vandalism. However it feels like she expects a simple seat change to "fix" the entire situation and I don't believe it will as that has already been attempted. Oh well...I guess we wait and see what happens when the suspended student comes back.

Where I'm From

***I originally posted this over a year ago but thought it might be fun to post it again...especially as I'm being slow on my ability to be original at the moment. I sometimes find it much easier to start with a question to answer or a topic to write about. Anyway hope it's enjoyed and if anyone else decides to do this leave me a comment so I can come read yours. Just wish I could figure out how to post a picture that would go with this...from an old slide.***


I first saw this on my sister's blog several months ago and have been mulling it over ever since. It was fun to do - to think through but also much harder than I thought it would be. If any of you readers decide to do the same leave me a comment so I can come read it.

Enjoy.

Where I'm From

I am from flip flops, from Ovaltine and elephants.

I am from the house of windows overlooking the ocean waves and the cargo ships coming in out of the harbour.

I am from the hibiscus, the bougainvillea, mangoes, red mud, sandy beaches, ocean waves, heat and desert.

I am from wringer washing machines, line-dried clothes and running outside when a storm threatened to bring the laundry in.

I am from 5 times daily calls to prayer, rugby, boiled water and windmill produced electricity.

I am from the Equator where the length of the days and nights stays the same year round - where within the same country you can visit the ocean and be 7000 feet above sea level.

I am from lamp post Christmas trees and blond hair, from Bakers, Millers and Benefiels.

I am from perfectionism and poetry.

I am from a belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior and no other way to heaven.

I am from Somalia, Ireland, England and Germany, from mangoes, custard apples, chai and goat meat.

I am from the Dad from Canada who went to Africa as a single missionary to meet the Mom from America as one of the line of single women he had to meet - both following God's call to ministry.

I am from love, loss and love again.


Here's the link to the original template - I found it helpful to know what types of things I was filling in the blanks with. Where I'm From

Of Bats and UFO's

Well...I'm getting a late start this morning...first time this week I've slept (?) until 8:30. Most mornings I've been up between 7-7:30 - and been awake before that with B and Dipstick getting out the door. This morning I was semi-awake but fell back sound asleep. I feel rather like I'm getting the day off to a very late start - especially since Squirrel and Stretch are up playing PS2.

However...in my defense I got to bed very late last night- I had coffee too late in the day followed by a bat chase at 10:30 last night! Much shouting, shrieks and general chaos went on...Dipstick and Squirrel slept through it all! My stitching went flying after B tossed a blanket at the bat and had it land on me - with no bat thankfully. B finally cornered it under one of my good brooms in the stairs - then we had to figure out how to get it into something to throw it outside without it getting away again. We'd been closing the door to mudroom so were rather puzzled as to how it got "in" the main part of the house...there's an old vent opening in the stairwall that I think will need to be covered over. (We've come to the conclusion that during construction bats likely took up residence in the crawl space so they are simply doing what they can to get out at night to hunt)

On a different note...I love my Ott-lite. I used it last night for the first time officially - first to take a hem out of one of Squirrel's uniform pants and then to stitch! It's been years since I've actually been able to see to stitch - I'm thrilled. So I pulled out my UFO (unfinished object) stash...of course I couldn't find all the patterns and projects at the same time or in the same place. However I was able to get a start on getting things organized.

Today Squirrel has optional track practice while Stretch has a movie planned with friends. I need to get going on getting chores done around here so we can grocery shop this afternoon before track. My goal is to be home before Dipstick gets off the school bus - Stretch will bring Squirrel home.

A Day in the Life...

1st day of spring break...Dipstick went back to school today as his spring break was last week. This evening the sun is shining but it's cold out...we woke up to snow on the ground and snow flurries. It's all gone but still cold out. We've split wood... Stretch pinched a finger in a log on the splitter so now we are watching a Ken Davis dvd. It's really good to hear the boys laughing - deep male voices mixed with voices that haven't changed yet. We got most of the wood that we wanted to get split tonight done though there is plenty more to do. B is out at a meeting tonight.

This morning Stretch, Squirrel and I went to town...first stop was to get passports applied for. I was able to get my name change applied for also...so currently I have no passport as it's been sent in for a new one. But that didn't cost me anymore than the pictures and postage...the boys' were a different story. I'm praying for no emergencies with Mom.

From there we went to the music store to drop Squirrel's trombone off for repair. We picked up two new lesson books - for clarinet and guitar and a trumpet snake. Then it was off to the mall where the boys spent time at a bookstore while I stopped in a couple of other places. Then to the craft store....I had a gift certificate that I was wanting to spend though I wasn't 100% sure what I was going to get. I was debating between a sewing machine and an Ottlite . Both items were on sale but with the sale price and my gift certificate I got a light and only had to actually pay $1.35. I was so excited - the boys thought I was nuts. Hopefully by this time tomorrow I'll have my stitching found so I can try out my light. Then it was to a different bookstore and the grocery then home. Of course I still have a list of things I forgot but they can wait some.

Last week ended up pretty good - my little boy with the knot on his head did not go to school on Friday. His mom kept him home to keep an eye on him. The service for my friend's husband was Saturday morning while the visitation was Friday night. The minister who did the service gave a clear presentation of the gospel - I found it encouraging even though it was hard.

As far as my bus route goes - I've decided to keep a "bus journal" - basically a notebook (hopefully a sturdy one) that I can make any notes about my bus route that I need to remember. We'll see how that goes - hopefully it will help with my "documentation" issues. We'll see.

To Post or Not to Post...

that is the question! Today has been quite the day to say the least...I'm actually taking some "downtime" at the moment...I should be doing laundry or sweeping or something. But...more I need to process some stuff.

Got a phone call late last night that the husband of one of our bus drivers had just passed away. He'd been sick but it was still a shock as we'd all heard he was doing "o.k" - still undergoing treatment but stable. The visitation is tomorrow night while the service is Saturday morning. I think one of the reasons I'm struggling a bit more - besides the unfairness of it all - is that even though it's a different month once again it is the week before spring break from school. The year Mike died there were 3 of us bus drivers who lost husbands the week before or actually during spring break.

This afternoon was an "early dismissal" from school for teacher training. I normally enjoy those days even though the bus is always loaded - and kids are often hyper. This afternoon was frustrating - one of my 1st grade students got on with a knot on his head from someone opening the school door into him. I radioed in and asked someone to come out and look at it. The school did eventually send someone out - they said pretty much that they thought he would be fine - he should just ask his mom to ice it when he got home. I asked her to call his mom and let her know - they told her that he did it on the bus door! I was angry - there's no way he could have gotten a knot like he had from the door of the bus. Not to mention the fact that he should have had ice on it before we left the school! His mom did come out to meet the bus and I was able to explain what he'd told me had happened and show her the lump. She called the school and insisted they change the accident report. I radioed the bus shop and had them make note of it also. After I was done driving I was able to stop back and check on him myself - with ice the knot was going down and he was eating so that's a relief.

My girlfriend Suz called me frantic because she had a horse down and wasn't sure what to do about it. She wanted Stretch to come over and help get it up. By the time he got there the horse was up and being checked over by Suz's mom and an Amish neighbor. I still spent a few minutes holding the pony back...that's definitely a new experience as I've never had much dealings with horses.

I'm ready to get out and "play" in the dirt - have two of my flower beds built. Now I want to plant in them...we'll see what I can accomplish this weekend.