Nope, not that kind of news but I just gotta blog. At least I'm addicted to collecting stories.

Been busy back in the classroom. It is a rumpus room without students yet--mostly. It's a mess. It won't be. The painters and tech folks and carpet cleaners and other whomevers are still doing what they were supposed to have done by mid-August and it still isn't done...and here come the teachers like flies to puppy-doo and it's a mess. And I have to do what I have to do or it won't get done and then I will be undone and we aren't going to have that.
Yesterday, the visitors began to come. The second graders and their moms who wanted to "just stop by". One stayed for almost two hours and "helped"...her mom and sister and cousin went across the way to help in Kinder. We had a nice one way conversation and I learned a lot. Mostly I just enjoyed the flow, the joy, the anticipation, the nervousness, all about her life, her dead dogs, her live cat, her sister going into K and how she is going to help her at 10:50 at recess every day since we have all-day K at our school now, her summer plans that did and didn't happen, her cousin that has shoes like mine and how her cousin was teaching her to play piano but she really wants to learn violin and did I know a nice violin teacher, and she really likes to draw and she interviewed some of the kids from last year and they said it was really fun in here and sometimes hard but she has wanted to be in this room since she came to this school and did I remember all of our chats last year on the playground and most of the markers were in really good shape and did I want to make a box of almost-good markers like she had which she pulls out for letters and notes to put in the mail? It made my day. And then another one came by with his little sister. And his mom. To say hi. I feel shy and awkward and I am supposed to be the 'grown-up". It still is the first day of school every year whether you are a kid or a teacher and you get nervous and you want people to like you. That part of yesterday felt like something I know...and love.

I watched the rest of the move Secret Life of Bees. The book is even better, richer. Sue Monk Kidd's word pictures and life nuggets are deeply and beautifully woven into story. Working out faithfully. Walking that puppy in the dark.Yup, we are back to the dark early times. Possums are going for the pears and other fruit in the cottage garden so I have to keep him tethered to me all the time. He is finally starting to get to a place that "I know"---eyes that look up at you with that expression of "Hi Mom" or "I know you" or "Hey, wanna play"...and he follows me into most rooms to be there with me or he lies down on the rug in each room to wait for what will come his way, esp. the kitchen where he gets special chewies while I am busy in there. He and Murray had fun on Tuesday night with another romp. Porker is learning to roughhouse with the big dogs at Auntie's so this time he gave it back when Murray started....I love how Murray barks and bays when he gets excited or doesn't get what he wants. They are beautiful to watch running around. I hope they will be good friends, maybe the best of friends.

If some things don't pan out, I am thinking on going back to school to become a school psychologist. 3 years. Masters, ESA certificate, and Doctorate. Then internship and practicum but it would be a different career in a field I love. I just don't love it now. All these hours at work now are balm for my soul and restless mind. I could make other choices. But I don't want to.