Signs of Spring

Yesterday morning I walked out overnight my gardening bush had one bloom. My favorite flowers bloom now in Florida, gardenias and azaleas. One of my goals is to go to Ravine Gardens State Park to see the azaleas. My favorite azalea memory is walking tho on the Appalachian trail through these gorgeous flame azaleas. There is this scraggly azalea bush outside of my office. I had to scare the FFA students out of that planter because I’ve relied on seeing those blooms each year and I didn’t need them to hack it up, which I caught them in the midst of. There are some other great places to see azaleas in Orlando, Azalea Park and Mead Garden. If you like plants in general, Leu Gardens is a nice space. I’m not a garden though but I do love to visit them. 

The Sunday Seven

Taking stock of the good of the week. 

 7. Spring break a.k.a. 10 days without work. There is something decadent about 10 days off and I love it. I have time to upgrade my flooring and go camping. It’s the best time of the year in Florida. I’m so happy plus I sleep best in my tent. I can sleep a full solid 12 hours in my tent. 

6. Meeting some of my new neighbors. I love my new community but I will say there are snowbirds in it so I don’t know a lot of people but my community is full right now. It will empty out probably after Easter, but I did get to meet the HOA president and some other people with our community garage sale. I did not sell or buy anything, but I made connections.

5. Figuring out how to actually arrange my furniture in my bedroom. Living wise, it’s been kind of tumultuous since July. By the grace of my friend I was able to live in some housing until I found home to purchase and then the buyer the seller wanted extended time closing, and then they needed to be some paint refreshing, and then I knew this project was coming so I haven’t really moved in but I’ve moved my stuff for five times since July so I’m hoping will come to some kind of closure at the end of March because right now everything I own is in the living room and my mom is complaining that we have way too many books in our house  Some people buy clothes and people buy shoes. All three of us here we buy books. There are book, worms, book lovers, book hoarders aka book dragons think what people out there call it.

4. The final yearbook pages been submitted. In January I assume sponsorship of the yearbook since the sponsor left and we had 120 pages to finish by March 11. We actually met our deadline and submitted planned 118 pages by that deadline and then two by our extended deadline, so we have basically put the book to bed and I am so happy and so proud of these kids because they persevered and it’s going to be a solid book.

3. Access to an Olympic swimming, pool, and gorgeous weather to walk laps to recuperate my Achilles tendon. I’m a water baby and I raised a water baby. when I saw that one of the things that my HOA fees pays for is an Olympic size swimming pool, I was so excited. Today was the first day that the water temp and the weather collaborated and was able to get in. It was not warm water by any stretch of the means in fact we’ve had a cool winter otherwise I would’ve been in sooner. It was exactly what my achy joints needed and I look forward to laps both swimming and walking. 

2. Blessed to have my stepdad who is almost 77 help me install these floors with my husband because it would not get done without him. The flooring in this space would not be done without him. He likes projects but of course he has all the tools but you need to do a project like this and I’m really so grateful he has. The project manager is who I referred to and this is a time where triangulation matters, so my husband isn’t getting around by me and I’m not arguing with him because he doesn’t know what he’s doing because we felt so .

1. Getting to have my mom over for St. Patrick’s Day and her birthday. My house is a mess, but a cool opportunity to be with my mom for St. Patrick’s Day and then her birthday and I can cook for her and do her nails because my mom is not going to be around forever so it’s kind of fun hanging out in the pool with her and driving her around and just being with her even though she thinks I’m annoyed when she tells me to bleach my bathroom.

Spring Break Day 2

Today was a killer of a day. We went nonstop putting the floors in and then went to dinner. Dinner was fun because my 77 year old mom was in the mood to tell stories. I learned that my grandparents met roller skating. I learned that my mom met my dad through intervention aka she gave her number to a friend to give to another guy, but the friend ended up giving my mom’s number to her boyfriend’s friend aka my dad. She also told me how she met my step dad because she didn’t “date” anyone after my dad died. I would call these stories micro slices. My daughter will appreciate this one day! 

Spring Break Day 1

 As a new home owner, we’ve been busy all fall and spring break being no different. As I'm an owner of a slightly used home in a community I love our place.  Though the carpet had to go and today it went. Here’s our day in a little photo storyboard.

Fortunately

 

Today is post is using a format that I’ve used before that was introduced to me years ago by my mentor Dr. Janet Allen. She would read the book Fortunately by Remy Charlip and then have kids write in same format. Janet passed  almost a year ago, but her legacy continues with every single teacher she ever taught. This picture book just one of thousands she shared with educators worldwide in her quest to ignite the love of reading.

Fortunately tomorrow will be the day before Spring break.

Unfortunately I decided to my change floor and tear up my carpet and put in flooring. 

Fortunately I've got help.

Unfortunately only one of us has done this type of job before.

Fortunately we are open to learning.

Unfortunately we've only pulled the carpet from one room.

Fortunately it was the biggest room.

Unfortunately the space here is small and we have storage issues.

Fortunately we will be flexible.

Unfortunately the boxes are 72 pounds each.

Fortunately my husband can move them.

Unfortunately there are rusty carpet nails everywhere.

Fortunately we have our tetanus shot.

Wish us luck! Here are two other posts with this format from past slices, workout and Friday.

Push Through

I would be lying if I would say it’s been an easy nine weeks, but it’s been pretty trying and grueling. I’m back the whole year has been pretty trying. The high point was taking over the yearbook in late January and grinding the 120 pages out in a month. I have nothing to say. I’m wiped. I’ve just been sitting on the couch for the past 48 minutes trying to think about what to write about. I have a good draft about my Vacay for PR but it won’t be ready today and I want it to be good. I do know for the past two years I have not completed the slice challenge every day in March and this is about right around the time when I have “fallen off the wagon” so I’m just getting something on paper. And the irony is that I know I can finish it because I finished it for at least eight years. I’ve crossed that finish line pre Covid. I haven’t made it across since and that’s really my goal just to finish get my groove back. So thanks for dropping by if you You know if I make it to March 15 I’m halfway there so really it’s holding myself accountable to post March 13 where I can get over this digital wall that I’ve had for the past two years. Thanks for listening and have a good night. PS…I hate daylight savings time even though we voted it out in the state of Florida. It’s going to take the federal government to actually approve it hello  Let’s do some actual work in Congress that actually affects people for better. 

What’s on My TBR Pile

Instead of my typical Monday what are you reading post I thought I would go to my bookshelf and see what was in my TBR pile. Most of my books have been packed since July . When I moved, I made a little summer reading box, but I didn’t get to it. Then I went to ALAN in November and added more. I haven’t gotten to any books that are not digital in 6 the past six months. Tonight’s slice is about what I’m planning to read starting over spring break next week when I go camping. They are pictured in no order. There are two graphic novels, three books written in poetic format or poetry and should be read with ease. Two are historical fiction and two fantasy.  What’s on your TBR?

The Sunday Seven: Reflecting on the Good of the Week

7. Miami Heat games being played on East Coast time not West Coast. I’ve always been a Miami Heat fan and I’ve always watched the games. Since my daughter left for college in the fall of 2022, I really filled my water polo watching time with Heat games. I really hate it when they play on the West Coast because I cannot stay up till 10 o’clock at night to watch a game that has that late start time. I can barely make it on an 8 o’clock start time specially during the school week. I’m glad we’re back on the East Coast start time this week. 

6. The last ESSR Saturday: One thing I’ve been grateful about for the past three years is an additional 6 planning days during the school year and time that is paid for teachers. It has meant, however, that I serve as the coach on duty on some Saturdays. It’s been amazing to get a lot of work done, but it’ll be nice not to work six days a week. Some stuff will just have to be undone.

5. The final yearbook pages deadline…Yearbook landed in my lap mid January after a teacher quit, which is all too common these days. It has brought joy, but again a lot of work in tough school year. When we started, there were 120 pages undone, and now we have maybe 12 pages left and by midnight tomorrow we will have two left to do. I’d I’ve loved every minute working with these kids, but it has taken every connection I have at school, all the relationship power I have at school to manifest these pages. 

4. Florida spring weather…I mean look at the news these days and you’ll think of all these things that are bad about Florida, our governor, book banning, etc., but the sunrises, the strawberries, the flowers, the sunsets, the afternoons and the windows open …nothing beats a Florida spring.

3. Support and care from my work mates… This week has been one of my worst for my data in terms of my blood sugars. My Dexcom gives me that 48 hour, that 7 day, that 30 day, and that 90 day time in range percent. This week is probably one of my worst on record. I’ve had a lot of people taking care of me this week at work, while under the duress of all the demands converged.  I appreciate their care and my goal is to resent myself and get back in the groove this week just by the single small step of drinking water and staying hydrated. 

2. Nail Night: Last week I talked about my nails, which make me happy but this week I introduced two more of my friends to my little nail hobby over cocktails at my house on Friday. One of my friends I rarely see and it was great to bring them to altogether and we did Saint Patrick nails and they loved it and I think I may have them hooked  means we’ll see see each other more often. I’m all in.

1. Time with my daughter during her spring break… my daughter’s spring break was this week and it being the earliest one meant that she had a lot of space for family. She got to see both of her grandmothers and I had two of her weekends to spend time with her and her boyfriend. I’m just happy she’s happy and that she values time with her family. She left 30 minutes ago after I whipped up breakfast of scrambled eggs, fresh strawberries, and fresh whipped cream for her.

Listicle: Saturday

I’ve been proof reading and writing all day for the yearbook final deadline and also our school’s Bear Pride Bulletin so I’m not sure how many words I have left. I I default to writing with a list on days like these and also playing with speech to text since my shoulder is hurting from writing at the computer for so long. Here’s a list of shows that I’ve been watching and perhaps catching up with the rest of humanity.  I spent a lot more time reading than writing and viewing, but over Christmas break. I spend a little bit of time watching with my daughter and with my husband. I also have some faves that are just mine and mine alone.

1. Ted Lasso, yes, I’m fairly late to the game, but I do love it. I’m still working my way through season three with my family.

2. The Morning Show I just started season three and I’m really loving it especially how it kind of documents Covid. This is one I’m watching by myself.

3. Star Trek Strange New Worlds I finished both seasons. I loved it but I like to say that there is no Star Wars if there is no Star Trek. This is the show I’m watching by myself, but I suckered my husband into.

4. So it makes sense that my next show is Picard, which I’m still watching. Again, it’s a show I’ve suckered my husband into.

5. Reacher, I think I’ll blame my husband on this one but we did watch the entire season and the second season and are waiting for the third. 

Of course really what I’m watching on most nights if I watch any television is Miami Heat basketball. There’s my secret addiction the Heat play on NBA TV.

What do you recommend I watch?

Fellowship Friday

One of the things that I most proud of in my work with my officemate, she’s an instructional coach, and I’m the literacy coach and yearbook sponsor, is the work we’ve done to carve out space for our staff to come together once a month on Fridays during their planning on our Fellowship Fridays. With over 200 staff members, It takes a long while to know everyone’s name. it’s been a low to sometimes no budget easy way to bring people together who don’t ordinarily come together. We started doing this during Covid as a way to feed people and care for people. At that time we couldn’t really do face-to-face, but we would just set it up as a grab and go. I commandeered a space in our media center that was being used and transformed it into meeting/eating space. It’s evolved since Covid, but now once a month, we have a theme and we set up a coffee pot for the entire day and spa water, and light snacks. The other thing we try to do is to really come up with ways to level up our coffee.  I always make the 1st cup and share it in our social media to remind teachers and then it’s fun to see what they make. So there always must be whipped cream, and some kind of sprinkle on theme. We encourage our leadership team to manage it for period during the day. As teachers, we are often isolated in our classrooms, and this was one way that we could encourage connections and socializations during the confines of the school day. We are currently planning next week’s fellowship Friday and I put a picture of my nails for the upcoming week so you can probably guess our next theme.

We’ve actually never done this theme since we’re normally on spring break and this time we will be too, but we want to celebrate how lucky we are to work together. What are you doing at your school to encourage staff fellowship or make connections? We are stronger together! #whyislice

Writing & Time Contamination

One of the things that I really love doing is writing with my students when they are writing. Most recently I was working on the argumentative prompt for our upcoming BEST writing practice. We had to read about whether is better to have scheduled or unscheduled leisure time activities. Besides practicing and gaining a better understanding of the elements of the updated rubric, I discovered some terms and some research that I had not read before The term that I was most interested in was this idea of time contamination. This word seems to have come out in the literature around 2018 and somehow I missed this. I’ve been really thinking and trying to avoid time contamination for the past few years without really knowing that was a thing. Time contamination as I understand it is this idea work permeates our lives, even when we’re away from work, due to the invasiveness of technology. One of the things I’ve been working on for the past few years is really to avoid sending emails to teachers on weekends and after work hours. I also really try to avoid sending texts. These are some conscious behaviors I’ve been making because as a teacher leader because I think it also sends a poor message about work life balance, which is something I’ve not been good at (ok I suck at it), but I also don’t want people being anxious about work on the weekends or at all. I’m really good at not responding to texts or emails after 7:30 PM because I’m typically asleep which is a good thing. But thinking about time contamination, for example, this past December, I had a teacher text me on a Friday night before our return to work on Monday from winter break. She’s not somebody I would normally hear from, but she wanted to let me know she was not coming back to work after Christmas and wanted me to be the first to know. I really thought to myself Who did this really benefit? Why couldn’t that have waited until Monday when we returned to work from vacation? Because although I’ve worked on conditioning myself to not stress, ultimately there was a layer of stress about her leaving since she was the yearbook sponsor. As a side-note, I’ve actually had a lot of fun these past two months, working with a yearbook students and we have our final deadline tomorrow, but let’s get back to time contamination. Although I’ve been trying to be considerate of my colleagues, I’m really going to work on being considerate of my family, and not letting our time get contaminated because the moments of solid uninterrupted time together matters. One of the best way I can do this is by being out in nature with them, and also leaving the phone behind. How do you handle time contamination?

Spring Break Plans

 1. Install my flooring. I have finally chosen an LPV that interlocks and has a cork bottom with no glue. Going to tackle this project with my husband and step-dad. 

2. Help install my backsplash. I’m not sure I will be help here. I have delighted in choosing the glass brick though.

3. Swim in my community’s pool. We chose to buy here because they have an Olympic swimming size pool. OK that’s just one reason it was a tough market this summer but I love my condo. I just haven’t been in the pool yet and I can’t wait to jump in.

4. Play cards with my family. Playing Hi-Lo-Jack is always a must when my family gets together, so there will be cards in my future and hopefully a few victories.

5. Camp and kayak at the Rainbow River with my friends.I always try to camp as it allows a full mind reset and a total disconnect from the world this spring break. It’ll be no different. Bill Murray gonna be a zombie.

6. Watch a few sunsets. 

7. Start my taxes and file an extension.

8. Vote yes, on the historic 9% raise, the first time we’ve ever been offered a percentage raise in my district over the past 31 years of my teaching career.

9. Rest, Relax, & Rejuvenate.

Extra More Than Ordinary

Today seemed more extra than ordinary. While I was on the go from the moment that I stepped onto campus at 6:38 am today, I was reminded of the title of one of Jane Yolen's short story collections, Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  My work seems more like that than not lately.  By the end of today, I saw that my apple watch had awarded me 43 workout minutes which is rare. I get many many steps and hit my stand and movement goal each day before I leave work, but to be awarded exercise minutes, that tells me that I was definitely on the run today. I should count myself lucky to roll a workout into work since my doctor says only the walking that I do at work that gets my heart rate up counts as exercise. Walking fives mile at work on ordinary days should count for extraordinary even if my heart rate is not up. I'm moving aren't I? I saw a post from someone today that this was the last ordinary school week 4 years ago.  I think I'll continue to seek ordinary as we all collectively recover from extraordinary.

What R U Reading?

 

I’ve been in a book club for 19 years. What’s amazing is that of our current members we have four original members. I’m not sure what your book club does if you’re in a book club but we have very few rules. We expect the host to provide appetizers, dinner and coffee with dessert. We don’t necessarily expect the host to cook, but there are some outstanding chefs in my book club. If you don’t read the book, we’d prefer you come just because we want to see you because that’s more important than the book.  Our members range in age from 82 to 32 and we all have a connection to teaching somehow. Of our 19 years together I’ve only not finished two books and I’ve only missed one meeting. I can keep count because my daughter was born the year we started the book club. In the fall we will be we will starting our 20th year. What’s great about this book club is the fact that it’s just not a bunch of English teachers, so we read all over the shelves.

We met last night and it was a rare circumstance where I did not actually finish the book. If you’re wondering, the book was Spencer Quinn‘s Miss Plansky’s Revenge. (The other book I failed to finish, was Uncle Tungsten.) I didn’t find the writing great and the story was a little too close to home for me. Last month we read Elizabeth’s Acevedo’s Family Lore. I loved it. Next month we are reading The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore. Other books we’ve read this year are Remarkably Bright Creatures, the psychological thriller, The Silent Patient, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill, and my personal favorite this year, The Dictionary of Lost Words. What I do love about book club is it does force me to stop and read something outside of my comfort zone, but I do make time to read every single day and this month I’ll be writing each day.

Are you in a book club? If so, what are the rules if any? Also, what titles are you enjoying?

The Sunday Seven: Reflecting on the Good of the Week

7. Finalizing my backsplash tile and possibly my flooring choices. My husband and I finally purchased our first home in an amazing neighborhood, but we had to contend with carpet.  I'm a researcher and I will continue to research longer than needed.  It once took me three years of research before I bought a new car.  Time is of the essence and I think we figured out what we want and it is doable.

6. The opportunity to do yearbook.  Unfortunately we had a teacher resign this past December. She was the yearbook advisor.  In my position of literacy coach, I have had to take over classes. It's become more frequent post-COVID, but I do love the opportunities that I get to teach and build relationships with students.  It keeps me nimble.  With the yearbook, I have had to stay on longer due to the complexity of the work and the deadlines we have.  I love the creation part of this process and the students who are so committed to the work.  Need I say the creation of yearbook has gotten easier in the time of tech?  No more counting picas, rushing to the one hour photo developing place, no more grease pencils?  

5. Playing pickleball.  As person who has played sports since 5th grade.  The hardest thing about aging is my aching Achilles and my knees. They don't recover like they used to.  I have found joy in playing pickleball doubles with my friends and neighbors. It's easier on my joints and allows me to practice in three of the elements of wellbeing, being outside, social and exercise.  (These are things I learned from taking Laurie Santos Yale course, The Science of Well-Being).

4. Nail Nights. I've always bitten my nails and until December 2022 had really considered that I would never have nails.  I make dinner on Sunday nights and my friend comes over and when we are done with dinner, we do our nails.  While we do nails, my husband does dishes. They really bring me joy when I look at them during Monday meetings.  It's also become a fun exchange with some of my students they share their nails with me while I am on lunch duty.  What is crazy is now a year later, I actually do have nails. 

3. Skychasing, a word my students coined during COVID, when we would share pictures of clouds and sunsets is a habit of mine.  One of my joys of going to work early is watching the sunrise and I love sunsets.  There is nothing more beautiful than an Florida sunset after a thunderstorm.  Some days I spy a "Simpson's Sky."  The winter afternoon sunsets are an amazing ombre of oranges and yellows and the sunrises pinks and purples.

2. Florida spring weather. It is cool in the morning and in the high seventies or low eighties in the afternoon. I really think we should have our summer break in the spring here.  The summer in central Florida is dreadful. Drive to the coast and it will have at least a 10 degree drop.  My favorite thing to do after work is come home and sit on my back porch and read or play pickle ball.  Either way I get to enjoy the sunset.

1. My daughter coming home from college for Spring Break.  Although she hates that her spring break week is the earliest of the Florida colleges, I love it for selfish reasons.  It means that she can hang out with her parents and go see both of her grandmoms and still have some friend time at the end of the week. 

Spring into Saturday: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Two Saturdays ago I got to go on a little adventure when visiting my daughter, a sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.  We've always been a family that loves the outdoors and Florida has more than beaches. She is currently an environmental science major with a focus on land management.  Although the beaches are close and the day was beautiful, she was game when I suggested we check out the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  In fact, January and February are great times of the year to be in the swamp in Florida. The relatively easy hike (being flat) is on a 2.25 mile boardwalk and it is a perfect way to check out an ancient forest where the largest old growth bald cypress forest in North American is located. The area itself has a a storied history. 

 Before becoming an official protected land in the fifties, game wardens protected birds from plumage hunters in the early 1900's.  The plumage decorating the fashionable hats decimated the bird population.  You can see the sites of where the wardens attempted to protect the bird from poachers.  This forest solely still exists a because of the community who worked with John Audubon to get this parcel protected.  Less than a 1/2 a mile away is where the logging was stopped.  Some of the cypress trees are 300 to 500 years old. Tromp through this habitat in June, July or August and you might catch a glimpse of the famous "ghost orchid."  I did spy an few orchids in the one of the trees.  My favorite find of the day was the yellow crowned night heron. I see herons often in my outdoor adventures, but this was the first night heron that I saw.I also saw the largest Tillandsia aka air plants that I have ever seen in the wild. 

 

Spring Begins

It's 9:47 pm.  It's been a long day,  a long week and quite frankly, it's been a long February on top of a long year. It is year 31 of teaching for me and 10 years of participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Of the ten, seven I've actually completed all days. It's more about the journey and the connections and the writing than the actually finishing for me at this point.  I know I can finish because I have. But I am looking forward to both the joy of writing that the SOLSC and the joy that Florida spring brings in March. My slice will be short tonight. I've already written quite a bit today, nothing suitable for slice, but I will bring it tomorrow for my Spring into Saturday post.  I look forward to reading all of the other participants' posts. I am looking forward to a new beginnings.