"Dear Diary..."

Cutest Dog Competition

since when...??

November!!?
you've got to be kidding!
I'm still waiting for trick-or-treaters to come get all that candy I bought!
crap.
the good news is that I FINALLY have the access "code" for the online class I've been struggling with all semester.
but now that means lots of catch-up (or, as I tell the kinders, "ketchup") work to do.
I'm determined to do it, though, by December 5, last day of classes.
don't want it hanging over my head during the holidays.
tackled a fair amount the last couple of days.
but it's back to school tomorrow.
and a new adventure in substitution awaits:
high school "shop class."
can you believe it??!
hope they aren't working with power tools this week...
later,
Mrs. O'R

back to school, and back to school

it's the last weekend before school begins around here, and I'm very excited.
nervous, too, but more on that in a bit.
as most of you who read this on a semi-regular basis know, I am a substitute teacher.
so, "back to school" has a bit different meaning than for other teachers.
I have not had to spend the past week in meetings, or in a classroom, getting ready.
I did get a haircut yesterday, and the waiting area was filled with little ones, also getting their back to school styling, some more reluctantly than others.
and I have been looking for some back to school clothes, and put together my bag of tricks - my over-sized shoulder bag that I fill with all that stuff I MIGHT need: extra pens & pencils, a pocket dictionary, scissors, band-aids, extra shoes, my recess whistle, etc.
it's not that teachers don't have most of this stuff in their classrooms, but as a sub, I might not always be able to FIND it, or find it quickly.
normally, especially later in the semester, I'd be up early, drinking coffee, waiting for the phone to ring.
but this first week of school, I'm already scheduled, and I'll be helping out in Kindergarten.
think back now...
were you excited about going to Kindergarten?
or were you a cryer?
and remember, those of you closer to my age, 5K is now ALL day, not a half day, as many of us experienced.
that's a big adjustment, and I'm sure I'll be doing a fair amount of hand-holding, hugging, and drying tears.
and I love it.
I love working with elementary classes.
this surprises me, on several levels.
when I FIRST went to college, right out of high school, my intended major was Elementary Education, with a Music minor.
gradually, as time went on, I was finding I really wanted to take more music courses, and eventually changed into a Music Major.
real life stepped in, family illness, dropped out, dropped in, dropped out, worked, worked some more, got married, moved away, worked some more, and a few years later, went back to college as a "returning adult student."
I loved my time spent in college, although I got a bit tired of being a substitute mom to classmates, and balancing school and work and home was tough.
but I graduated with a K-12 teaching license for instrumental music.
I was an Official Orchestra geek, and I LOVED teaching - but NOT elementary.
Junior High was my thing, and eventually, High School was also great fun.
5th and 6th grade, not so much.
actually, I hated it.
but looking back, it had more to do with the structure of the music program, and the schedule, than with the kids.
long story a bit shorter: taught, taught some more, conducted youth orchestras, played in a symphony, taught private lessons, taught music camps, conducted more youth orchestras, played in a string quartet, and then real life slapped me in the face, again, lost my job(s), got divorced, worked odd jobs, worked some really ODD jobs, remarried, moved to Door County, became an artist, ups and downs (my husband is officially a cancer survivor), the economy took a dive, and I needed to find a "real job."
so I reinvented myself once more, and to my amazement, I love subbing, and I especially love working with the little ducks!
oh, I like the older kids, as well, and it's been good for me to work all levels, all courses.
but I'm about to take the leap, go back to college, and get my teaching license for Elementary Education.
in Wisconsin, it's now a grades 1 - 8 license, and I can't wait!
but I'm nervous, too.
I"m older, actually, a lot older, things have changed.
much of my coursework will be online.
it was weird, I applied online, registered over the phone, and ordered my books from a website.
I'll report to Silver Lake College in Manitowoc one weekend per month, taking courses this Fall, Spring, next Summer, and perhaps Fall 2011.
so, when mamy of my former colleagues are planning their retirement, I find myself buying new notebooks and shopping for a new lunch box.
back to school, and back to school...

12 women...

I received an e-mail today, one of those things that I'm supposed to fwd to 12 women in the next 15 minutes, etc., etc.
I don't normally pay much attention to that kind of thing, but this one also suggested that I should imagine those 12 women together, in the same room, and that as a group, they could accomplish anything.
THAT made me think.
also made me laugh, as in lol.
who would you include in your group of 12?
and remember, they're supposed to accomplish something, and not kill each other in the process!
oh, and it also had a very cool quote at the bottom:
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to
dance in the rain."
I remember as a child, playing in the rain puddles with my mother after stretches of hot, dry summer days.
those warm rains, that brought relief from the heat and humidity of our non-air-conditioned-three-room-upper flat.
when I think back, we had so little, but we had so very much.
it's raining right now, I may have to go find some puddles...

week 3

today is the first day to vote in Week 3 of the Cutest Dog Competition:
$1,000,000 Cash Grand Prize

* 12 week contest
beginning August 1st, 2009
* 12 semi-finalists (one per week)
will receive $500 each
* Top 4 finalists
will be chosen by the public from the
12 weekly semi-finalist winners
* 3 runner up finalists
will each receive $5000
* The grand prize winner
will be chosen by the judges from the top four finalists on Thanksgiving Day.

please remember to vote for Snickers EVERY DAY, and he will share his winnings with the Door County Humane Society.

ANOTHER rescue

Saturday night.
sitting on the porch with Snickers.
I glance in the direction of the backyard, and notice what appears to be another kitten, nibbling on my day lilies!
I put Snickers in the house, and head to the backyard.
when the little cat sees me, she immediately comes toward me, crying.
she keeps her distance, but keeps circling the house and yard, crying, talking, waiting for me to fix the problem, it seems.
I decided to sit on the back steps, and see if she would follow me.
she did, and an hour later, after a very long conversation, she had taken refuge in my lap, and I was cleaning very nasty ears with baby oil and Q-tips.
although I knew there was someone at the Door County Humane Society that night until 8 pm, Patrick was at work, and the other car was in the shop.
and there was no one home in Kolberg.
I mean, no one!
it was a very strange feeling, calling all the neighbors (well, all the neighbors that I knew would help with a mission of mercy such as this), and finding no one available.
so, I opened the back door, Lily marched right in, and we set up temporary housing on the back porch.
we made a bed in a box, turned on its side, and lined with an old towel.
she settled right in, but I was worried, because no amount of coaxing would get her to eat or drink.
I tried dry food, canned food, powdered baby animal food (which we found at the co-op, and keep on hand for just such emergencies), milk, and water.
she didn't seem to want anything.
she was a bit congested, but it wasn't a cough that gave it away.
it was the occasional big, gooey sneeze.
she didn't like having her nose wiped clean, but I insisted.
if she was going to be an overnight guest, she had to keep her nose clean.
literally.
she was content to nap in the temporary bed, and rub and purr every time I came out to check on her.
it was a long night, but early this morning, she decided she was hungry after all, and polished off half a can of cat food and about half a cup of dry food.
and washed it all down with a good drink of water.
I felt relieved, and prepared the rather large dog carrier to accommodate the tiny passenger.
she cried most of the way to the shelter, cried when I left, and I cried all the way home.
not so much for Lily, because I know she'll be taken care of.
but for all the cats and kittens that came spilling out from every corner of their safe haven.
when will people learn?

UPDATE ON LAST WEEK'S RESCUE:
last week's orphan is resting comfortably, after having been spayed this week, and is receiving treatment for the congestion, and the eye injury.
as soon as she is available for adoption, I'll let you know.

another rescue

there I was, Saturday night, sitting on my porch, having a glass of wine, minding my own business.
suddenly, there she was.
we're used to farm and/or feral cats cutting across the property, watching us from a safe distance.
what I wasn't expecting was this sweetie, climbing up the steps to the back door, begging to go in!
Patrick picked her up, and there was instant purr, no fussing, no scratching.
he handed her to me, while he went in the house to get some food and water.
she has one "bad" eye, looks as though it was an injury, and not an infection.
but she was young, and thin, and coughing a bit, and definitely wanted help.
came to the right place.
I don't know how they know, but they know.
anyway, I called the Door Co. Humane Society, just to check their hours, thinking we would have to quarantine her somehow until Sunday or Monday.
luckily, there was someone there, taking care of orphans, and she said we could bring her in.
I braced myself as we got into the car, but she settled down on a blanket on my lap, and seemed to enjoy the ride.
never made a sound, except for that wonderful purr.
there was one empty cage in the "incoming" room of cats and adorable kittens - cage number 7.
lucky, I'd say.
if we didn't already have Snickers and Spike, I'd keep her.
will have to check back later in the week, find out how she's doing.
I love where we live...

whatcha doin' Saturday??

the Door County String Academy will present "Bach After Brunch", a fundraising event to benefit the DCSA, on Saturday, August 1st, 2009.
the event will take place at Bjorklunden in Baileys Harbor from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m
come enjoy a first class brunch and performances from violinists from the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra.
also part of the event will be a raffle (I have a collage I am donating, a small portion visible in picture below) and plant sale.
tickets are $35.00 per person.
seating is limited, so please call (920) 421-0753 to make a reservation and receive ticket payment information.

baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and...

cars on the lawn.
one of the quirky, endearing, but sometimes frustrating parts of living where we live is the baseball games.
we live in a house, next to a church (and there are stories to be told about that, as well!), on a fairly large lot.
just shy of an acre.
and most of that acre is on the east side of the house.
behind that portion of our yard is a baseball diamond, used by the county baseball league.
and although we've lived here for nearly ten years now, there are still many people who come to the games, and assume that our yard is a public park.
the first few years were the worst - people parking in the middle of the yard, or driving across the yard to the park entrance, kids climbing in our trees, garbage strewn about, and noisy parties late into the evening after a game.
it took some "training," but now most people are respectful of the fact that this is private property.
most.
but, if I'm home on the afternoon of a home game, I do park myself on the porch early, and try to catch the first offenders from parking on the grass.
if one person pulls up onto the lawn, the rest follow suit.
one of the attractions for them are our huge maple trees along this parking area, and they like to pull under the trees for the shade.
what they don't realize is that the ground is becoming so compacted around the trees that it is causing stress for the maples, and I'm afraid we will lose them, in time.
and trees are pretty important when you're a Druid.
today, our Kolberg Braves are playing the other first place team in the league, the Egg Harbor Indians, and there's sure to be a huge, enthusiastic crowd.
I love it!
it's one of the reasons I always wanted to live in the country.
the quiet, the closeness to nature, small town, rural values, and all that.
I want the Braves to win today.
I just don't want them to park on the lawn.

delete, edit, and integrate, oh my!

still sorting out feelings about this strange summer of "unemployment," after a stressful, hectic, but very rewarding school year.
I feel as if I went to sleep as an artist, and woke up as an educator, with one foot stepping back into my former life as a music teacher/conductor.
I'm dragging the other foot, as there is still a lot of baggage I'm carrying with me.
but I'm confident that it will all fall into place.
I absolutely loved my time spent subbing, especially after I got to know more kids/teachers and their routines.
and although I was a bit scared at first, I'm so glad I also made the jump back into adjudicating music festivals for WSMA.
those Saturdays at Who-Knows-Where High School can be very long, but I think I'm a good judge, and I have a lot of fun.
and NOW, I'm dusting off the baton, and will be conducting a group of young string players with the Door County String Academy.
it's very exciting.
but I'm also nervous about it all.
want to make sure that all the parts & pieces fit, and don't interfere with the life I have here in Kolberg with Patrick, and the critters.
to all my artist friends, I want you to know that I've not quit "making stuff," but the emphasis has switched.
at first, it was out of necessity - just had to make more money.
but now, I think this is the direction I should go, it's where I'm supposed to be...
later,
Mrs. O'R

start your search engines!

Raise money for Door Co. String Academy (Sturgeon Bay) just by searching the web and shopping online!

Search the web now!

Free coupons at top stores!