Yeast expires, you know

I made bread today. I have a bread machine and I thought it would be a nice, homey thing to have it baking while I wrote the prophecy newsletter. So I started making it and I took down the bag of yeast packets I have and I noticed that they expired two years ago. Hmmm.Time files, apparently. Well, I thought, I have the yeast and I have the other ingredients, so why not?

Here's why: because what comes out of your bread machine at the end is a little bowling ball the mass of a black hole, weighing 3000 pounds and compressed to something that will crash through the floor like a meteorite if I dropped it. So my light, fluffy loaf of bread is compressed down to a size of a softball and about as dense as cobalt.

I ate it anyway.

Hey, with butter, anything is edible.

A nice day, upper 70s and I know this from the temperature thingie on the top right of my laptop screen. I didn't actually go outside, silly.

I am looking forward to a good time at church tomorrow and then a Sunday meal and nap, then correspondence with some internet friends. I have a new book by Michael Landon Jr called The Silent Gift. The highlight of my day will likely be the crossing off of another day at school, marking the final countdown to summah! (19 1/2 days left!)

Long week!

I was listening to bluegrass hymns, and there was just a little too much banjo music for me right now. I need a soothing baritone and some traditional hymns, not a jaunty plinking that unsettles my nerves.

It has been a long week. We just finished administering the CRCT (Criterion Referenced Competency Test) to all the 3-5th graders and a mock test to the 2nd graders. It is an extremely intense test to take, and the kids feel every minute of it. It is a very difficult test to administer, and to proctor. The kids in turn feel pressure and when the pressure is released, as in the afternoon when the test is done, they let loose. It makes for a long week.

We had a very good study at church last night. We are going through Matthew, and we are up to Matthew 3. I love the chapter that shows John the Baptist, and I loved exploring the Nazirite vows, and his message of repentance. The people in our study will talk and share and contribute, which makes it interesting and collegial.

I've been glad that the initial heat of the spring season has gone away and we have coolish days (low 70s) and cold nights. It was too soon for the deep heat of upper 80s. We also received some blessed rain which we needed very much. My plants are growing well in the pots, and soon I hope there will be flowers. Meanwhile, the flowers are busting out in the yard. The tiger lilies have already gone by and the morning glories are poking up.

I'm going to settle down on the couch with a book, and the cats. I am finished with this evening's essay at The End Time and for me, 6 pm is an early evening. I am going to enjoy it. These old bones need a rest.

And here I was so sure I wouldn't get old...

So growing up all my older relatives wore glasses. As a kid I'd see them look, fumble, hunt, and grope around for those glasses they always seemed to misplace. How silly, I'd think! Those forgetful grownups. I'll never be like that!

LOL, yesterday I was mumbling "where are my glasses??" and went to look in some usual haunts for them. They were on top of my head. Oy!! And today I actually got in the car and drove out the driveway heading toward church before I realized I didn't have my glasses on. I squealed to a stop and backed into the driveway, reversed down the length of it, turned the car off, and went back inside the house to get them. NOW I'm beginning to understand those long ago private chortles would come back to haunt me!

As far as the school year goes, we are rounding third and heading for home. There is only another month to go and then I'll be liberated from the clock and from bells and from schedules. From opening countless lunchroom milks, from tying shoelaces that have been dragged over the boys' room floor all day, from unsticking backpack zippers, and from shushing kids in line. I'll miss those tiny kid hugs, though, and the light that comes across their faces when they finally understand a new word or a math problem. Sniff sniff.

Though as a routine oriented person I will keep my schedule as rigidly as ever, but knowing that I am doing it for me and not for work makes a difference. My teacher friends are busy making plans and reservations for summer vacations. I am making plans on which books to read. I am not going anywhere. I am staying at home!

Maybe that is another symptom of getting old...now where did I put my glasses...?

Blooming garden

The heat seems to have abated with the storms that came through yesterday, and I went outside to take some yard shots. After 6 consecutive days of sitting, I decided to get up. LOL.

The yard looks great, thanks to the landlord's mowing and blowing yesterday, and the rain. It is verdant green carpet, with flowering bushes and budding trees everywhere.

This is some kind of flowering bush along the north side of the house. I know, that isn't too knowledgeable nor is it very descriptive...

Here is a closeup of that bush. It is really pretty. It bloomed in the last few days.

And, even closer.

Now that I am outside, and not inside, the cat doesn't know what's happening. "Where is she? Why isn't she in her chair? What is this screen between us? What is out there?" he kept following me from window to window...

Last year the landlord cut back the crepe myrtle. Or severely pruned. Or, as the Grumpy Gardener says, 'crepe murder.' Anyway, as the crepe myrtle comes back, it looks like Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons...

Last year I'd thrown around a bunch of flower seeds (again, not descriptive, I forget what kind these are) and here they are, nestled against the tree trunk in the front yard.

I planted a pepper, two flowers with a name starting with C, and some other flowers. LOL, I am not a gardener. I just bought what was cheap, pretty, and would last in a sunny spot with concrete, and went from there. If anything actually comes up I will be shocked. I spent a total of 20 minutes. At least I put them in fresh potting soil.

A friend of mine will give me an aloe cutting and also a spider plant cutting. I will stay on the lookout for small succulents to put in my white espresso cups. And now, I'm back down. Up is good. Down is better.

Vacation update

I think my new favorite dinner is veggie tacos. I made them this week and I've been enjoying them for three nights straight. What I did was:

Opened and rinsed a ban of black beans
Opened and drained a can of Spanish Rice
Sauteed a green pepper.

I mixed the above and then added to my taco shell shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. Voila, a healthy and filling dinner that costs cents on the dollar. (At my place the local store often has avocados on sale for 78 cents). If I run out of taco shells I can still make it into a salad and it is just as good.

I like that is takes mere moments to fix. When I get home in the afternoon I'm pretty tired of being on my feet all day. If I don't have to stand at the stove for a long time, I'm happy.

A friend gave me a bag of pecan halves. I'm happy about that too. I love nuts! You name the nut and I love it: cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, etc. I like something crunchy at night to munch on and pecans are just the ticket.

I was so sad about the tornadoes in Dallas yesterday but what a happy thing that so far there are no fatalities!! In seeing that viral video of the tractor-trailers being flung into the air like matches I was sure that there would be deaths all over the place. That tornado was powerful. But like the weatherman said, this is early in the season, and we still have a ways to go. I pray that the tornado season is calmer than last year. We get tornadoes here in GA so it is a fervent prayer.

I am enjoying my vacation but I have had little motivation to do anything. I haven't vacuumed or done the laundry. I haven't even put out the pots and potted some flower seeds. The upside is that I am de-stressed and have been sleeping soundly at night, and have had no need for daytime naps. I am awake and alert, just lazy!

Come a storm...

Our hot day has ended. It suddenly clouded over and we are getting rain and thunder now. There are severe thunder warnings up for the county next to ours. Just before the rain hit I snapped these clouds. Mammatus clouds I think.

I'm totally wasting my day

It is the first week day of spring break. I enjoy having the Monday off. Sunday was great knowing I didn't have to get up today and rush out this morning. I had banana pancakes, watched a couple of videos, and did the dishes. Then I moseyed to the PO and then to a friend's house for a visit. We yakked for a couple of hours, then I stayed for lunch. Back home, I am watching hulu.com and munching crackers.

Except for the dishes and a blog entry at The End Time, I have done nothing productive. Perfect.

I'm totally wasting my day

It is the first week day of spring break. I enjoy having the Monday off, Sunday was great knowing I didn't have to get up today and rush out. I had banana pancakes, watched a couple of videos, and did the dishes. Then I moseyed to the PO and then to a friend's house for a visit. We yakked for a couple of hours, then I stayed for lunch. Back home, I am watching hulu.com and munching crackers.

Except for the dishes and a blog entry at The End Time, I have done nothing productive. perfect.

Library expansion

Our public library has concluded a one year, nearly 3M dollar expansion. It adds 7500 square feet to the library. It adds classrooms, a geneaology research center, light, and bathrooms. It is gorgeous.

The library has been open all the while the expansion has been going on, and as I've swapped out library books every two weeks I looked at the addition's progress. But today was the ribbon cutting and official opening. I decided to go, but first to quickly hustle on down to the Comer Farmer's Market first and buy a couple of plants for my container garden I will set up on Monday.

Comer Farmer's Market picture

After that I though I'd mosey down to the library to take part in the ribbon cutting. I deliberately skipped the speeches and got there at about 10:40 just as they were finished. I walked all through the library and I have to say it is gorgeous.

The picture is a bookmark given out at the ceremony. All the facts of the expansion are on the back of the bookmark. I was busting with pride. I am so thankful that our county has men and women running it who plan ahead, and prepare for facilities upgrades like this. One of the Librarians at the ribbon cutting told me later that they said in the speech that we are just about the only county to have had a surplus. That is quite something in this economy. The expansion was paid for by a 1.5M grant from the State of Georgia, and $600,000 in SPLOST money. Wikipedia explains SPLOST better than I could:

"In the U.S. state of Georgia, a special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) can be levied by any county, for the purpose of funding the building and maintenance of parks, schools, roads, and other public facilities. Georgia's state sales tax is currently 4% (groceries and prescription drugs exempted), with the counties allowed to add up to 2% more for SPLOST. A SPLOST is passed by a county commission, usually with the agreement of its city councils, and voted up or down by residents in a referendum, usually during the next scheduled election. A SPLOST only lasts five years..."

I like that SPLOST is limited in duration, fiscally dedicated to a particular plan, and is enacted by all the governing bodies, including the People.

The rest of the money was from grants, Athens Regional Library system, Friends of the Library, the Library Trustees and the estate of respected Jere Ayers. Way to go Madison County! I'm proud of you!

It was a peaceful drive. I go up Route 98 without turning, about 8 miles. Along the way I pass this:

And when I come home I see this:

The tiger lilies are fading now but even as they fade the bush looks like it's aflame. So pretty. All in all a great Saturday morning.

I am on vacation this week

I know the populace at large doesn't think so, but we work really hard in elementary schools.  We balance the emotional, physical and educational needs of 22 students at every moment of every day, 7 hours at a time. It is quite a juggling act to get a classroom full of 5 and 6 year olds to function as a cohesive whole. My hat is off to the teachers. As a teacher's aide myself I know the hard work my para-pro colleagues do as well.

We are on spring break this week and I am really glad. The weather is perfect and I am looking forward to kicking back. I've accumulated several books to read, theology etc. I plan to do a little work at my front door sprucing it up with plants and bushes. The landlord dug out the soil last year and cemented over right next to the door so I can't plant, but I'll put some pots out and some flowers. I plan to take it easy, but I'm not traveling anywhere. Gas prices are too high and I like to be home anyway.

I read this morning that three people won the record jackpot Mega Millions, splitting 200 million apiece. Wow. What I could do with that money... Someone's life is changed this morning. I'm glad for the three families, but worried too. That much money always brings trouble.

My cat is so polite. When I'm on the couch, he sits on the floor and looks at me quietly. He only jumps up to my lap if I pat the couch invitingly. This morning he sat on the other end of the table and waited for me to finish breakfast. I don't know how he knew I was done, but when I took the last sip of coffee and set the cup down, then he got up and sat next to me.

I was reading a book with a kindergartener in class. Sam and Al. Sam is a lion and Al is a zookeeper. Sam and Al are pals. I explained what pals are. At one point Al patted the lion through the bars of the cage. I said, "I don't know if I'd pat the lion with my hand like that. He might bite it off." The child said, "Mrs Prata! They're pals." Everything is so literal and so simple for kids.

Though in another instance, their minds make a leap that are uncannily spooky. I was working with a boy in math. We had a pile of little colored plastic puppies. I had him do different groups that make up ten, and then I said he could play with them. He immediately lined them all up in rows of three. I said, "That looks like a kennel." He didn't know what a kennel was, so I explained that it is a place where doggies go when their human mommy and daddy go on a trip. All the dogs stay at a place like a doggie hotel. He must have picked up on the abandonment part and not the hotel part. He immediately rearranged the groups and said, "Look. They're waiting for their soup."

I laughed and said it's not an orphanage...but he was sort of right.

So it is 63 degrees out, the birds are singing. There was a gentle rain all night so maybe the pollen will lay down today. It's sunny and bright. I have the privilege of deciding whether to go to the Farmer's Market, or stay in and slunge in my PJ's. Ahhh, vacations.