Summer of Elizabeth

What a lovely week, weather wise. No humidity, cool temps, and after the early rain on Monday, sunshine. Abundant sunshine with puffy clouds! I love April in Georgia.

This is the end of the year push at school. We have a few weeks to go, our school year ends for the kids on May 29. May is full of end of year testing, field trips, field day, Derby Day, Kindergarten program rehearsals, Kindergarten Program, chalk day, bubble day, extra recess...and academics crammed in between.

My plan is to survive till the end with the kids and make it through post-planning to reach that golden apple: SUMMER. Post-planning is just that, planning for closing this year out and planning for next year. It also involves completely reducing our classroom to boxes that are either stored on a shelf or on rolling carts. The custodians paint and do stuff to the floor over the summer, so all the furniture is moved to the edges of the room and everything movable is boxed and put up so when the time comes they can move everything out.

The end of the year is kind of melancholy ... we work hard all year to get the kindergarteners reading, writing and independently able to do some work. Small groups or pairs at centers click along with less fussing and more ability to complete the work by themselves. They have matured, get jokes, tattle only 1000 times a day instead of 100000, can read and do it excitedly, and are generally pleasant to be around. Many can even tie their own shoes and open their own milks by this point, lol. The team prepares them for the leap to first grade...and we start all over again with excitable little peeing puppies in August. And so it goes.

When I went outside this afternoon to put a bag in the trash, the sheep and lambs all ran over to see what I was doing. They baa'd and stomped, and were generally entertaining. They were probably very disappointed to see that I was not their shepherdess. It is very fun to have farm animals around.

I took a photo at sunset the other day. The puffy clouds were thinning out but still gorgeous, and pink. I tweaked it in Pixlr to look like an oil painting.

I don't do anything in summer. I stay inside except for early morning and evening, I read, watch movies and tv, study, write, and commune with my cats. I don't do anything like travel or see museums or waterparks or visit, because I don't want to do those things. I like home. Home sweet home.

I wasn't feeling that well today but I still hobbled around (my achin' back...neck...& head) and deep cleaned the apartment. I also de-cluttered. I am so so so happy right now in a clean and pretty apartment, smells of Pledge and spring flowers, all neat and orderly, who wouldn't want to stay here every single day? I would! And I am going to be able to, soon. In time this very good and great school year will end. It will be the Summer of Elizabeth! As long as it doesn't become the Summer of George. Oops, the Summer of George didn't turn out so well for him, did it?