"Dear Diary..."

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...

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

summer blues

it has been an odd summer, so far.
I began a "summer job" at a cute little bead shop in May, before school ended, school ended in June, and about a week later, so did my summer job!
I may get called back in August, but that didn't help my bank balance for July.
so, I have been fighting the blues.
and, being the Queen of Making Do, I'm doing.
painting steps, gardening, cleaning, organizing, life goes on.
time at home has been nice, especially after the hectic spring, subbing almost every day those last weeks of the semester.
and it looks as if fall will be busy, whether I get called back to Acme Bead, or not.
I will sub, of course, anywhere, anything, if called.
AND, I've just been hired to conduct a string ensemble for the Door County String Academy.
it's comprised of mostly high school students, and I'm very excited.
we'll rehearse 4 or 5 times, then perform a few pieces at their December concert.
it's a trial basis, and as is the case with all non-profits, it's all about "funding."
so, now I have to dust off the baton case, start thinking about repertoire, and update not only the blog, but my Facebook page, and check to see if I still have pages on Twitter and MySpace.
need to get the word out, and drum up (no musical pun intended) support.
later,
Mrs. O'R

"there's no place like home..."

let me first tell you that last Thursday's gallery night at Weathered Goods was so much fun!
I had a chance to catch up with Teresa, the owner, and a couple of other people that I've not seen in a long time.
everyone was very nice, and I sold the piece I was doing my demo with - and it wasn't even finished!
gotta love that, as they say.

Friday we headed to Indiana, a very long nine-hour trip (road construction around Chicago was hateful!), and went directly to the art show site, to set up.
no problems.
but it was not to be a good show.
for two days, more on than off, it stormed & rained & hailed & the wind blew, and we would hunker down & hang on.
Saturday night I had dreams that reminded me of Dorothy swirling around, headed toward Oz!
when the sun was shining, we had great crowds, and customers.
but it just didn't last long enough, and after figuring in our gas (gulp), the show fee, meals, etc., (not to mention time away from work) we lost money on this one.
but we spent some quality time with my in-laws, hadn't seen them in almost a year, so that was good.
and I always get inspired by something when I do a show, more on that later.
AND, I always seem to make another connection that could prove beneficial - again, more on that later.
right now, I have to get ready for work.
I told them I would come in early today, make up some time, so it will be a very long day.
but afterwards, I get to come home, and as Dorothy reminded me, "there's no place like home..."
later,
Patty

what are you doing Thursday night?

(click on image to view larger version)

summer job

I recently applied for what was advertised as an intern position at The Fairfield contemporary art museum in Sturgeon Bay.
had my interview on Monday, (I was a wreck! I hate interviews, hate talking about myself) and it went very well.
and yesterday I got a message from them that they were offering the "docent" position to me!
had to rename it, I guess I'm too old to be considered an intern!
it will be about 30 hours per week, a mix of duties, helping with projects, displays, tourists, etc. as needed, Memorial Day through Labor Day, which is perfect.
I can sub another two weeks, and then be done before school starts in the fall.
I'm nervous about it, but I figure if I can handle subbing at the high school, I can do this.
but part of me feels as if I've already abandoned my art.
I will have to make a real effort to block out time to create in my new schedule.
that, and digging in the dirt!
Patrick & I walked around the yard today, plotting and planning for some new plantings, transplantings, etc.
can't wait to get the herb garden going.
it just feels so good to be outside again, it was such a long, hard winter.
perhaps we'll stop at The Flying Pig today, for some inspiration, inside and out.
later,
Patty

spinning

I hardly know where to begin!
so much going on, all of a sudden.
and it all ties together, in weird and wonderful ways.
but that's the way it is in my little world.
here goes:
as always, I received lots of nice comments and e-mails from folks out there in response to my IF post.
and I'm trying very hard to respond, in kind, to all of those.
not totally successful, as yet, but I'm getting there, please be patient with me.
one of the comments was from Isabel, and after going to her blog, I wrote an e-mail to her, partly because she lives in New Orleans, and partly because not only is she interested in art, but she is a poet, and writes book reviews - cool!
anyway, we are now talking about me coming to New Orleans (one of my favorite places on the planet!) to do a workshop.
I am so excited at the mere possibility of doing this!
ok, I'll try to keep this short, so I'll jump ahead.
I decided to cruise around a bit, and I landed at Leslie Riley's - love her blog, she always has something interesting to share, and in such an enviable way.
scrolling down a bit to her March 1st post, I found a link to Spell with flickr - that's how I spelled out p-a-p-o-r at the top of this post.
it's just so cool!
took me a minute to figure it out, but now it's one of those things where I could get lost for hours, I just know it.
Lisa had written to me, to inquire as to whether or not I had a typo in my link to my Etsy shop - papor.
I wrote back and explained that the letters stand for Patrick and Patty O'Rourke, and we've used that as our business name for some time now - papor products.
might change it, someday, but it has kind of stuck, so we'll leave it that way for now.
by the way, I just had to use the lobster "O" when I saw it - made me think of all that fantastic seafood I had in New Orleans...
AND, I want to mention my blogger friend Kathy, who also "loves letters," and has a great Photoshop tutorial posted right now.
AND she recently posted photos on her blog of her trip to New Orleans.
there, I think I put all the pieces together.
it will be tuna, not lobster, but it's time for lunch.
later,
Patty

Spike's new trick

I was feeling really stupid today, and had originally thought about posting under the category "crap," which is kind of my catch-all category for negative feelings, things gone wrong, emotional black holes in the universe, etc.
but I did that once this week, already, and the more I thought about it, the more I had to laugh at myself.
got up early this morning, because the tow truck was due to arrive first thing.
usual routine is put on the coffee, feed and water the cats, check Snickers' dishes, put Snickers out, get the newspaper, let Snickers in, get my coffee, and call the bank's automated teller, and check my balance, etc.
(it's an old habit, but it's rather comforting to me, so I do it.)
got through all of it, but when I tried to use the phone, the land line, couldn't get a dial tone.
first thought - battery died.
but it was fully charged.
tried again - nothing.
checked the extension in the bedroom, same story.
went upstairs and checked the computer, again, same story.
then I panicked, had I paid the bill??!?
well, yes, I had paid the bill, I knew that, so it must be some equipment failure or a problem with the phone line into the house.
we have had a lot of ice hanging off the wires outside...
called the phone company with the cell phone, yes, I had paid the bill, no, there wasn't a report of any downed lines in our area, had I checked the connection box outside?
no, how do I do that?
the nice woman explained that I just needed to take a plug-in phone outside to the box, plug it in, and if I didn't get a dial tone, then I should call back and they would send someone out.
I took a screwdriver and the hex wrench set and one of our old phones out to the box on the side of the house, got it open, plugged in the phone - nothing.
screwed everything back together, went back inside, and called for the repair service, feeling that I had done all I could, and now it was up to "them."
it might take up to 24 business hours for "them" to arrive, but they would be there as soon as they could.
in the meanwhile, the tow truck has arrived, successfully loaded up the van, and Patrick followed it into Sturgeon Bay.
(I'm so glad we have Triple A!)
I go inside, no car, no phone, but I go about my day.
but it has a major gaping hole in it - I can't check my e-mail, and wander around the internet for awhile, the way I usually do.
and this is disturbing.
you know, yesterday I said it was frustrating, even though I didn't have to drive anywhere, just knowing that I couldn't really bothered me.
well, even though I have a cell phone I could use, just knowing that the land line was not working and available the way it should be, because, after all, I had paid the bill, I was ticked.
late this afternoon, the repairman arrives, and checks the line.
might be the underground cable.
groan.
but he'll reset everything, and I should listen for the phone.
suddenly, I hear what sounds like a busy signal.
he comes back in, and he hears it too.
it's coming from upstairs.
and, wouldn't you know, it's the one frickin' phone in the house that I hadn't checked, because we never use it, the old aqua princess phone in the guest room!
well, I know right away what has happened.
when we went to bed last night, Spike, our adorable-but-totally-operating-on-2nd-shift kitten had to run around and chase and play for another hour or so.
and doing so upstairs is the most fun, because the hallway is carpeted.
our new trick is jumping up on things, now that we are big enough to leap in a single bound from the floor to almost any table or counter in the house.
and I can just see him, running down the hall, into the guest room, taking a flying leap, and landing on the bedside table, knocking the phone off the hook.
downstairs, we couldn't hear the busy signal, and eventually it shuts off, shuts down, and is silent.
I was so embarrassed, and felt so stupid!
the repair guy was very nice, said he has a cat, and understood exactly, no problem.
I'm hoping that translates into, "no service charge," but I sincerely have my doubts.
so, I'm back online, the guest room is now off-limits to Spike, and I was able to quickly add another item to my new Zazzle gallery.
another quiet day in Kolberg.
later,
Patty

out and about

“If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.”
~Earl Wilson

I've been in a blue funk, so I decided I needed to get out today, take a short drive, join the last of the "leafers" enjoying what's left of the pretty part of autumn in Door County.
got up early, and drove to Sturgeon Bay, to the farmers' market.
was a bit disappointed, so little is left.
but I did get some wonderful squash and eggplant.
and met a couple of adorable dogs - that always happens.
instead of going north, I drove back south, to Brussels, and picked up some groceries at Marchant's.
I just love that little store!
ran into one of the neighbors, and had a nice visit, then headed for home.
just wasn't in the mood to venture out any farther, without Patrick.
it's just not as much fun, when you're alone.
I'm making soup for supper, so while it's simmering away, I think I'll take Snickers for a walk.
it's so pretty, right here at home, I guess I really didn't need to travel anywhere to enjoy beautiful fall weather.
"there's no place like home..."
tomorrow I will have get back to art/work, and get some stuff mailed out on Monday.
can't believe October is almost over.
Patrick's birthday is Friday, I'm teaching a class on Saturday, and then it will be Halloween!
better go for that walk.
later,
Patty

I wish I was in...

New Orleans.
it seems that everywhere I turn lately, I'm reminded of the wonderful trips I took to New Orleans.
I've recently seen several television shows from/about the city, came across a couple of books I bought on my last trip there, and then there's always the travel ad e-mails that seem to come in waves.
and I so wish I could take Patrick there.
we keep saying, "someday," but real life keeps getting in the way.
the first time I went was in my music teaching days, to a national music educators convention.
it was incredible!
my friend, Cyndee, and I went together, and had such a wonderful time - the food, the friendly people, the antique shops, art galleries, the French Quarter - oh, we attended the convention, too!
yes, we were good about that.
but we also had plenty of time to explore, close to the hotel.
I swore I'd go back, which I did, right after my divorce.
yes, it was kind of an I-can-do-this-on-my-own thing, and, again, I had a wonderful time.
but in order to afford it, I had to go in the summer, which I would NEVER do again!
it was hovering around 100 degrees everyday, and I had to stay a little farther from the Quarter than I really wanted to, but I managed.
I'd get up early every day, and take a slow walk before it got unbearable, explore my favorite places, and find new ones, then take a cab back to hotel.
everything is air-conditioned, but getting from place to place was hateful.
I'd like to go back in the fall, or early spring, next time.
and especially because I've been there before, I'd like to take one of the New Orleans Tours, and see something different.
maybe the Garden District, or the riverboat cruise that goes between the Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Zoo.
and definitely, the gallery district is on the list.
I think the art I saw in New Orleans was what made me want to explore collage more, and as things get colder and quieter here in Door County, I'm feeling the need for a jolt of inspiration.
and breakfast at Brennan's would be heavenly!
well, for this year, anyway, I'll have to settle for an afternoon of paging through my books and souvenirs.
later,
Patty

Chicago Tours