Deered...

Quite appropriate, that one. At Miller-Kingsland on Saturday I found deer scat - common round here. But there was something different. Lumps of poop that were the size of large pine cones, segmented into pieces the size of the deer scat but still stuck together. What was it? My parents live around the block form there and dad claims he saw a coyote. But there are also bear around - saw a cub in my backyard last year.

So, I went online and looked up poop. I know, life doesn't get much more exciting than this kiddos! Well, after careful analysis of many images of doo-doo - in shovels, pointed at, next to rulers for reference, in HUGE piles - I have figured out that it is bear poopie. And it was fairly fresh.

Now, I also have these spots on my that are a result of my allergic reaction to being stung by that nasty bumble bee. And the spots are not looking better. As a matter of fact, they are going from pink to magenta to purplish.

So this little project of mine is becoming quite an adventure. But does the threat of bee stings and bear encounters mean anything to me? Hell no! My sister drove by the house recently and said it looked amazing! Just what I needed to hear. Planned on going by there for more punishment - I mean, work - on Friday but I see rain in the forecast. Bummer...

Oh, and I have one person signed up for the trip to Paris. So people, let's get saving and sign up!!! S'il vous plait...

Brudd...

So I thought I would use Blogger security codes for the titles of my entries...

I am itching like crazy!!! These hives are sooooo bad and I have an in-service tomorrow. Thinking of wearing shorts to it so that the male teachers who laughed at me last year at a meeting will think I have something contagious and not come near me. Oh, did I forget to write about that incident? Silly me. I'm feeling kind of salty so here goes...

At the last union meeting of the school year, we buy ourselves lots of pizza so it is a lunch get together and a meeting. Birds of a feather flock together so I am at a table in the senior cafe with art and music people and a couple of other great fellows and gals. Across the room, a table of all majority-testosterone-possessing teachers - aka male. All of a sudden I notice one-by-one they turn to look at me and my two female friends from the department. And they are laughing while looking at us or me. Couldn't tell exactly which of us got the gaze. No, none of us had cheese dripping from our chins or a need to use a tissue, if you know what I mean... So, I stared back for a bit, then went on with our business of enjoying each other...

My question... why must some people be this immature? No idea. But I have to say I have worked in a few different fields - publishing, paparazzi, a major sports organization - and in four other school districts. Never have I encountered this type of behaviour. Did it bother me? Well, they aren't my kind of people, so no. I don't really fit in with most people and I tend to stick with those who accept me for the unique person I am. Hence, the reason you will never see me take lunch in the teacher's cafe. But, if a teacher behaves this immaturely towards one of his colleagues - and this was a whole table of them - who's saying they behave maturely in the classroom? Just wondering...

Now, on the other hand, SUPER excited for the new school year and meeting three periods of new Photo I kids and seeing the Photo II & III kids. I just hope they are all as excited as I am...

Gotta go soak in the pool now and numb these damn hives before I scratch the bejeezus out of them!

Enjoy the picture of me with my "cutest baby in the world" niece Lucy...

Mistaken Identity...

So after some research, apparently certain bumble bees do not sting. The rest do. And the kicker... they do not have barbs on the stingers, so when the pull out the stinger, it does not break off, meaning they can sting you again and again! And the stings after the first are worse because there are now antibodies present, making the reaction worse! Ugh... and those who are allergic - me - can get a variety of reactions. Me, well, those weren't varied bites on me from bedtime. They are hives. Apparently stage one allergic reaction involves swelling, redness and soreness at the location of the sting and hives that itch all over the body...

Oh, and did you know that heat and sweat can make you itch even more? Ugh..... time to go back in the freezing pool to numb myself!

Bees...

So I thought bumble bees did not sting. Not only was I wrong, but my thoughts regarding stinging once then dying was also incorrect.

But let me step back a bit... went to Miller-Kingsland to do more work. Decided to magnify the impact of my clean up by working on the road side of the fence. Clearing out the dead decorative grass blades, the weeds, the maple saplings and the poison and non-poison ivy. Looking smashing - sarcasm - with my lavender elbow length gardening gloves and my flourescent yellow safety vest, I was a gal on a mission. Make the people of my town say "wow" when they drive past this historic house. Instead, it ended with multiple "ow's" on my part. Only six more feet of frontage to go and a bumble bee swarms up from the depths, latches onto my face an inch from my mouth and stings! I swat, it latches onto my hand, bites and I get it off. I decide I should clean up, more out of defeat than tiredness. As I am putting the the debris in the bag, the f-er comes back for more. Latches onto my ankle and bites again! Same bee, three stings! What the heck? This meant war, and only one of us was going to come out alive. I pummeled the bee.

My ride came to get me and that was that.I may have had a swollen lip, but I won... or did I? As of right now, my ankle hurts like the dickens... I limp and it is real red and it has been almost 24 hours. To add insult to injury, a bug found its way into my bed last night and bit me repeatedly on my upper legs. I am insanely allergic to mosquitoes and other sundry bugs and I may have to cut all my nails off to keep from scratching....

But I have to walk down the hill today to work on a clean up project at one of the gas stations. I would probably just soak in the cold pool and numb the bites all day, but hubby and I are usually two of the only ones that regularly show up for these volunteer things. And of course, I am just dying to go back to M-K to finish up the roadside job. I am such a glutton for punishment!

On a better note... developed the last roll of film from Portland and it is super! I shot some covert images at the legendary Burnside skatepark with my Yashica 35mm and some great stuff around the bridges. Can't wait to make the contact print. Also printed in the darkroom in the basement for about an hour last evening. The negatives I was printing are not good but I managed something. I have to say, I do not like the Kodak filters. I am just not getting the contrast from a #5 that I expect. I may have to buy 3"x3" Ilfords to fit my enlarger. We shall see...

Priorities...

Noticing a bunch of hullabaloo on the internet and the news about teachers conversing with students on the internet. hmmm......

Some thoughts:

• Many of us do lead lives that are positive and the classroom is not always the place to discuss non-subject things. Just not enough time. You will never find a picture of me at a wild party drunk or drugged out of my mind because I DO NOT DO THAT!!!! And perhaps it is good for a student to know that about a teacher... I tend to be of the practice what you preach way of thinking when it comes to this.
• Perhaps the reason for a lack of respect for teachers is the fact that many people - media, politicians, etc. - forget that teachers are people who are members of their community, part of a family, have friends, i.e. real people with real lives. We are not money grubbing thieves who steal from the tax-payers and crawl into a closet in our classrooms at the end of the day, to re-emerge in the morning. Knowing a little bit about us - note: a little, not everything - may break down some barriers.
• I like my former students to know some things about me that can enlighten them. For instance: I travel (not to the shore and Florida!), I read, I volunteer, I have friends of all genders, races, ages, and sexual orientations.
• I also do my own art out of work and like them to see it. I am a firm believer that you have to love and practice what you teach. That is most certainly conveyed to the students and helps them see the worth of what you are teaching.
• Keeping in touch can help in keeping an eye on those who need watching. I don't mean that in a Big Brother kind of way. But, just because the vulnerable student graduated, does not mean he is ok. He/she might benefit from knowing that there are still people who care about him/her.

A lot of the stuff I have read on this topic blames the teachers for being immature or trying to be buddies with students. One thing NEVER mentioned is that teachers did not cross a line of professionalism by becoming involved in students' lives first. When people started relying on the school system to raise the children, teach them the life lessons they were neglecting, making sure they were fed, watching for signs of depression and drug/alcohol abuse, and holding the educators legally liable for all the above, something in the game changed. Teachers no longer were merely responsible for passing on one's knowledge in a subject area. We were expected to adjust our relationships to the students in such a way that we could also be surrogate guardians. The good teachers are looked up to, not as buddies. But sometimes students confuse the two. And of course, some teachers don't know the difference. But they are not the majority.

I certainly do not mind looking out for students - especially since some at-home situations can't be blamed on a parent or child - but I don't like it when teachers who care about kids are made out to look bad. These relationships are just so complicated sometimes. In many cases, it helps to keep in touch. The students understand that we do genuinely care about them and their time with us is that much more meaningful. They know they will not be forgotten once July 1 comes around. Perhaps what needs to be done is some addressing regarding how to place parameters on keeping in touch. As for me, you will not find a picture of me with a beer - thought, note, I am legally allowed to have a drink - I do not partake in illegal activities that will find their way onto the internet, and I dump the "friends" whose posts are offensive. If I don't want former students seeing them, odds are it's not a person I really want to be friends with anyway...

End of rant... now if only the sun would come out...

Done...

Took two calls to get that jock party shut down, but we did get a good night's sleep. And, the sooner they get sent home, the less drinking they did and the lees the likelihood that they drove home drunk. Good deed done!

Developed three rolls of film today. One was totally blank! And I can't even remember what pictures I am missing, so did the leader go back in the cassette before I even shot it? Probably... and I didn't put a note on it so I may never know. But the last roll from London looks super! If it rains again tomorrow, I may actually print in the basement! It is kind of hard to do that b/c it's been so hot and to black it out, the windows have to be shut. And if daddy is not home, Millie cries for me at the top of the stairs... She's so cute!!!

Parties...

My neighbourhood is real quiet at night which is surprising because the kids across the street from me never shut up, their mother talks like she wants the world to know her business, and the guy next door is raving mad. But at night, you can hear someone sneeze two blocks away...

I have never been a party gal. The one big high school party I went to, I felt bad for the kid throwing it and spent the night cleaning his house and picking up the garbage. Not much tolerance for sloppy drunk people either...

So, considering the above two points, the raging party a block away is getting me p.o.'d. The kid's parents must go away the same weekend every summer. Last year, the party went until after 2 am. We waited for someone to call the cops. Neighbours all wimped out. There was a fight at the party too. You know the type - macho drunk guy hits on other macho drunk guy's drunk gal and macho boys defend their property. Blah, blah, blah... Even the president of our volunteer group couldn't sleep down the hill at his house last year b/c of the party. Sound carries in this river town...

So, when hubby is done watching his favourite actor - Cary Grant in "Bringing Up Baby" - on channel 13 at 11 pm, the cops are getting a call. Hopefully they can find the address, not like the time we heard a guy running down Birch Street screaming he had a gun and was going to shoot the first person he saw! The cop circled the wrong block three times before giving up... duh...

Whatta town!!!

Herbie...

In the beginning of the month, when I had that nasty allergic reaction to the squash vines, one of the rashes seemed to have a mind of its own. Hubby said, "whatever you do, just don't name it, please." So, naturally I named it Herbie. Well, as all friends eventually do, Herbie left.

Then I went weeding again Wednesday at Miller-Kingsland. And Herbie has a new spot on my inner right wrist. Whoa, this is one heck of a rash! I was pulling vines like crazy but they were 5-leaf vines - not poison ivy. So... what am I allergic to? Beats me, but Herbie or any other oozy, weepy rash will not keep this volunteer down.

So my two hour shift this morning was cleaning up the sides of the driveway/entrance to the property. Yes, i do structure my summer days into a schedule... It is fairly high profile, seen by all who drive that road and would make quite an impact. I was so pleased with the job when done and I was a stinky, dirty, sweaty mess! And as I weeded and pulled bad plants, they would brush up against my arms and by default, scratch the itchy oozy mess! Then the DPW came by to cut the grass. They were so nice and offered to cart away all the bags of weeds each time I am there! I know a lot of kids talk about how icky and rude the people are by them. And I know they are right. But that is why I live far from work. Because most of the people where I live are so nice. I walk into town and people say "Hi" on the street. I sneeze while driving and a man on a porch says "Bless you!" People compliment us volunteers on the job we do.

This is a nice way to end the week after the aggravation of yesterday. Because it is politically driven, I cannot write about it, considering the NJ ban on teachers expressing political opinions. So, I remain silent, but not ignorant...

Paris...

Ok Photo people, past and present... There is a tentative meeting for all interested students and parents/guardians on the 14th of September. There will be a representative from the tour company there. If I found out on our first day of work that I have to reschedule, I will post the new date here and on PB Works.

Also, according to Demsey, the "heating unit" - you know, the one that never really kept us warm in the winter - has been replaced. So.... could that mean we may reach a balmy 65 in room 026 this winter? One can only hope!

Oh, and I started shooting with my Diana 35 and I LOVE IT!!!! It is so cute and tiny - much like my first ever camera that took 126 film cartridges - and sturdy! Cue squeals of delight.....

Uh oh...

... I have a hunch the school year starts soon. My other teaching friends joke about not knowing the date or day of the week over the summer. The fact is, I am not sure what today's date is and that is okay with me. It is not because I am lazy. It is because I am just relaxing.

My version of relaxing includes squatting in the backyard pulling out all the bad grass by hand. Others would just spray with some terrible chemical. But you know what an environmentalist I am. And anyway, Little Lucy may someday crawl on that lawn... then put her hands or feet in her mouth... and ingest those chemicals. I also finished painting the rails on the back porch, the bottom of the back door sash and the repaired parts of the foundation in the basement. I also took pictures of some lavender sachets I made and hope to sell. used grandma's fabric scraps and my homegrown lavender! I feel I can take a nap that is deserved once I make a decision about what to make for dinner.

Also plowing through the David Sedaris book. Some advice: do not read in public unless you want the people around you to think you are a lunatic and do not read when a cat is sleeping on your belly unless you want your belly laughs to sent that kitty running... I can't tell you how many times I have wiped tears from my eyes reading this book...

Tomorrow's goals: more weeding at Miller-Kingsland and posting more things to sell on Etsy.

Sharing is caring...

... and I get the giggles when the big high school kids use that term in class. Unfortunately, hubby likes to share sometimes - note, not all the time; he is an only child - and he shared his sick with me. Ugh. Sore throat and stuffiness. So while I wanted to see Lucy last night or tonight, that is no longer a possibility. I also was dying to work at Miller-Kingsland but the rain nixed that yesterday and I feel like poo-poo today. No sleep last night and couldn't even rest on the sofa b/c Millie was snuggled asleep on her red blankie on the middle cushion. So I just wandered and walked in circles in the dark hoping to drain my nose.

I did make some lavender sachets yesterday on the sewing machine. Millie was with me hunting and attacking craps of fabric on the floor. She's so cute!!! And the basement smells of lavender since that's where I separate the flowers from the stems. Better than the usual musty smell!

Finished the William K. book this morning. Should be required reading in all contemporary history classes... got me veeerrrrrry angry.

I did get a Diana 35 and a Holga as gifts from sister and plan to start with Diana today.... if I don't fall asleep first...

Show Entry...

For all you 18 year old students and graduates, there is a call for art at the Arts Guild of New Jersey. It is in Rahway and they extended the deadline for entries. Go to their website at www.rahwayartsguild.org to get the information. I think you are all talented enough to have a chance to get in the show... It is only $30 to enter and it isn't really all that far. Just down the GSP. If I am toiling away trying to get my art shows, you should too...

Tip of the day: wash your hands if you pet a neighbour's cat, unless you want a puffy face and runny eyes... sigh... where is my brain???

Hell yeah!!!

I finally finished the peony garden at the Miller-Kingsland house. All together, I have filled about 6+ large garbage bags of weeds on that little area. I was so covered in dirt, it was great!!! Then I went round to the front to the part I did about a month ago and tidied that up. Next part, the front along the white picket fence. The daredevil in me can't wait to do the part between the road and the fence. Three feet from the road on a death defying curve! I should probably wear flourescent so the drivers see me.

Finished the Brainscan issues. Found out some icky stuff about this distro I loved. Had no idea about the guy. I know there are two sides to every story. But it is interesting that even in the independent areas that I like to roam, there are still shady people. I flashed back to a conversation I had to hear between the guy who runs it and some dope a couple years ago at the Anarchist Book Fair. I just remember feeling like I was being ignored while standing there with my pile of stuff I wanted to buy while this trash-talking conversation went on and on and on.... I thought the other guy was the problem but now I don't know. It wasn't like the distro guy was rushing to end the conversation to help 'lil ole female me.... Ah, better get used to this thinking again... work starts in less than a month. Misogyny here we come!!!!

Finally got to really meet the young'n. Still can't touch her - which I am ok with. I do feel a bit like a leper here... Even hubby is grossed out by some of the rash. I'm not, but gosh, they itch in this heat. I did go to the Miller-Kingsland house yesterday to weed. I so love doing that!!! I got carried away and started wandering among the trees cutting off dead branches. My goal is to get there real early tomorrow morning to finish the peony plot before the sun moves over to that area.

I am trying an herbal treatment for my asthma. I have mullein growing and read the flowers and leaves are good for lung issues, including asthma. So I have been diligently picking and drying. Since I have begun drinking a tea made of mullein and lavender flowers, the asthma has been so much better. Considering the humidity, I am ecstatic! The best part, mullein grows like a weed! Do not have to plant it. Just have to make sure the hubby doesn't pick it before it dies!

Paris, here we come?

Okey dokey people, the new principal said that since it is not a trip during the school year and is not a school trip per se, we can do it and do not need approval! Woo Hoo!!!! So get your butts going and sign up. You can e-mail me of course with any questions.

On the alien news front... Lucy Rose was spitting up green bile. So it turns out her intestines may be twisting or not fully formed. I mean, my sister did go and pop her out a week early so she may not have been done cooking in the oven. Or if it's the twisting thing, well, my family is made up of a bunch of mixed up people anyway, so she immediately fits in. As soon as I get to take a picture of the loony Lulu, you will see it here. And my sister doesn't even look like she gave birth, except if you look at the belly...

At least I have finally met her. She smacked her lips and that was cute. Apparently she was the cutest baby in the unit. The nurses said not all babies are really all that cute - remember the "ugly baby" episode of Seinfeld anyone? - but this one is a winner. I think Pooh and Piglet are sick of seeing me. Actually, Pooh is. Piglet is a shameless hussy who wants to be pet and brushed the whole time I am there.... sheesh.....If the guv ever causes me to lose my job, I think I have a second career in cat-sitting...

Still sending out the show entries. There are many more this summer compared to last summer. I am also in an online show and the judging results are released on the 15th. Oh, and I re-posted some items in our Etsy shop. My allergic reaction is preventing me from doing all the art I hoped to do - some unfinished projects there - so I also bought some ad space hoping to get some sales. My sister will have diapers to pay for, you know!

Lucy Rose...

is here. I am the only one who spent the whole day in the hospital or kitty sitting and was not allowed to go see her. "Someone" told the nurse I had a reaction on my skin - though it is not contagious like poison ivy! - and I received the message I was not allowed in. But I could come in today with sleeves on and no one will know! Thanks a lot!

But when I saw the picture of her on the camera - the ones I was supposed to be taking - I thought she looked familiar. Keep in mind I think all babies look the same. While I was at sister's house kitty sitting - I am the ONLY one doing this and 4 times a day I might add - my sister called from the hospital - the only person who appreciates me even some of the time - and she thanked me for being there all day and for kitty sitting. Then she said that Lucy looks like me. That's why she looked familiar to me! Heh heh....

They may not appreciate me but they now have two of me to look at! Sweet revenge!

The alien is due to arrive today... I am lucky enough to be selected to check in on Pooh and Piglet... But I cannot hug anyone because of my oozing rash from the squash... hmph.....

Itchy...

So most of you know my love of gardening. I volunteer to fix up other gardens around town and do my parents' weeding too. I have a veggie garden every year and am pretty darn good at growing squash. I have a few types right now. I am also lucky enough to not get a reaction from poison ivy.

Well....

I must have pissed off the squash gods because I have a brutal rash on my arms, creeping to my neck and hands. Basically anything that touched the plants while feverishly pruning the dead stuff off it. After much research I found out that 9% of the population gets the poison-ivy like rashes from the prickers on the leaves and vines in the squash family. This means:

• I cannot garden for a while - can you hear my wails of horror?!?
• I cannot work at the Miller-Kingsland house until I stop oozing and can wear gloves
• I cannot pick the squash flowers each morning
• it is a pain to type and not rest my wrists down
• I can't touch the alien when she lands at St. Clare's
• I am limited to touching Millie, Pooh, Piglet, Gimpy and Ernie
• parts of my body that are oozing cannot go in the pool

Oh sure, I can submerge my arms in a big bucket of cool water. But how mobile can I be while doing that? Hang the bucket around my neck and walk around my backyard? I'll look like a demented horse wanna-be! Mother said maybe this is a way to force me to relax and rest. But that is not what summer is about dammit! I have things to do! It is even creeping up two fingers. At least I pick the flowers with my right hand. I would be so screwed if I used my left. How can I do any artwork with just one hand? This just sucks so much...

This freak town...

... I live in is a bit hard to take for some. I spent over two hours yesterday with the hubby volunteering and fixing the facade of a Chinese take-out place. They were so thankful they gave us water and free lunch! People complimented us as we worked. Then, I decided to run across the street to the Civil War memorial to weed there. Got "thank you" from a couple of passers-by. One guy even told me it was nice that someone even cared.

I have also been reading lots of what I bought in Portland. I like Alex Wrekk's Brainscan zine and stocked up on a few of her issues I don't have. She lives in Portland. One of the best things I read in issue 19 was about how in many towns, people talk about doing things, but in Portland they actually do them.

After volunteering, I am feeling pretty super. one of the reasons I like doing it. Then I call sister for the Pooh report - my four-legged nephew has been sick. I let her know what we spent the morning doing and she lays into this tirade about how our town "sucks" and they can't wait until after the baby is born and they are ready to put the house up for sale and get the hell out.

Then I thought back to Alex Wrekk. One of the things that makes me think this freak town is not so bad is because hubby and I work with volunteers who don't just talk about fixing things. We mobilize to get those things fixed. If we can't do it ourselves - with or without an ok ;) - we go to town hall and make ourselves nuisances until the things get done. That feels pretty good. I don't complain and sit on my butt. I write letters, sign petitions, volunteer, go to meetings. I know not everyone can go to a meeting or spare the time to volunteer. But is it really that hard to write a letter to your local paper? Heck, you can swing a few sentences during the commercial breaks! Write to your congressman, assembleyman or senator. I get a lot of form letters back, but I also have had some insightful - and mean - responses.

I can't stand complacency and laziness when it comes from people who complain. Like our friend Jim said this spring - if someone like Chris Christie was in France doing what he is doing to education, the students would mobilize and protest. Not that I advocate that, but they speak up! Granted, speaking up - especially if you are a small female - may not win you friends. This is particularly true where I work. But the thank you's I get around town - even anonymously on my answering machine - are pretty cool.

It is also nice to know that some of my super cool students - and formers - think the same way.

And now I wait to see if the rain will hold out for me to go weed at the Miller-Kingsland house...