Journey through food, wine, and life

Going vegetarian

2011-12-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

I was eating a mouthful of beef when I read, on facebook, about the bill which would once again fund USDA inspectors for horse slaughter. That was it. PERIOD. I was DONE with red meat. I've been vegetarian (I still eat cheese) now for 3 weeks and I feel so much better! I eat lots of beans and rice and broccoli. Am I hungry? Nope. Not at all. I found a line of frozen vegetarian meals from Amy's foods and I stocked up on them at WINCO. Lots of enchilladas and Spanish casseroles with beans and rice. YUMMY!!! And, I feel so much better! My finger joints don't hurt any more! :-) That's good news by itself, but I actually have more energy and don't feel sluggish (not digesting dead cow any more!) I bought a book, Vegan Bite by Bite, and I'm enjoying reading through it and all the recipes it contains. How about you? Are you still eating meat?

morning walks

2011-10-08T20:03:00.001-07:00

I've joined my school district's fitness program and I'm not firmly committed to walking each and every morning. I'm now sore all over, however! And, I sure don't have any problem sleeping at night~~I'm so worn out that I hit the bed and konk out! What are you doing for exercise????

Ethnic foods~Sunday Stills Challenge~073111

2011-07-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

You know, we eat a variety of different ethnic foods: Chinese, Italian, Indian, Mexican, German...that's because my family LOVES to eat! There's a great little German deli and grocery store in Yucaipa, CA called "George's" and sometimes we'll drive up there to get Black Forest ham and sausages (and German beer!). Since we live in Southern California, we have access to many Mexican food establishments, including a little meat market not too far from our house where we get tortillas, salsa, guacamole, and tri-tip! Yum, yum!!!! Our daughter and son-in-law are real FOODIES and follow many food shows on TV. They often invite us over for dinner (THANK GOODNESS!). However, I don't have many photos of the food we eat! I just don't take photographs of it (sometime I'm going to start doing!!!) But, last weekend, while we were over in Arizona, we stopped at AJ's Fine Foods and I saw these bags of salsa and spices and I just couldn't resist snapping a few photos of them. I ended up buying some of them for James so that he can cook us another delicious meal! (Hehehehehehe!) Sunday Stills Challenge for July 31, 2011. I'll have to do an update and let you know how the meal went!

What am I eating today? July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

First of all, I should state that I'm in the process of changing my eating habits AGAIN...I'm reading about green smoothies, so I started making some at home in the mornings. I just wasn't thrilled with what I was eating for breakfast: either toast with butter and jam (...shudder...) or cereal, which made me feel sluggish and bloated. I bought a couple of books about green smoothies and eating green food and I decided to make a radical change! :-) So, now I mix kale, mango, and the Naked Juice Green Machine into a breakfast smoothie! I also add some carrot juice for balance. I'm finding that I can go all morning on just that and I don't get hungry until about noon. On Friday, I didn't even eat until 1:30 p.m. and I only had 2 oatmeal cookies at that time! I'm REALLY trying to have two smoothies a day, but it sometimes doesn't work out, like when hubby wants a big dinner. HE doesn't eat all day, so by the time he gets home, he's starving. I'm also trying to level out my acidic/alkaline balance and by eating more raw food and vegetables, I figure this should help. We found a Whole Foods (...whole paycheck!)...here in Scottsdale this morning and a gal there told us about a bigger one which is actually closer to our hotel, so we stopped there this afternoon. I didn't have to buy much more as I previously purchased some curry chicken salad, some broccoli salad, and some trail nut mix (which I ADORE!). So, dinner was already in the fridge. Hubby...(gasp!)...insisted that he wasn't going to eat "rabbit food" and demanded that I drive him through In N' Out (horrors!)...I can't eat that @#IT any more! He also had a beer, while I had sparkling water from Whole Foods (I LOVE the lime flavor!) So, here's a sampling of what I'm TRYING to eat these days. We don't have a Whole Foods in the desert and the nearest ones are 2 hours away, but we do drive over here to Arizona frequently, so I can stock up here. There's also one in Las Vegas, up in Summerlin. It's a really nice, big, beautiful one, like the one off Mayo Blvd. here in Scottsdale. If you want to read about green smoothies, here are a couple of links: http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes AND http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/blog/ I SHOULD mention that on day 3 of my green smoothies, I was running to the bathroom ALL DAY! Good thing I had stayed home to clean the house that day! I am hoping that my system was purging itself of all the bad stuff and detoxifying!!!!! :-) But, now, after a week, I find that I eye green salads like a predator stalking its prey! I WANT to eat raw foods and salads! I nearly went NUTS at Whole Foods...I piled all kinds of yummy stuff on my "to go" salad container (no photos because I ate EVERYTHING)...romaine lettuce, lettuce mix, yellow peppers, cucumbers, soybeans, kidney beans, some kind of sprouts mix...YUMMY!!!

Morning smoothie

2011-07-11T18:14:00.001-07:00

Let's face it...I awake at 4 a.m. every morning...sigh...even in summer. I WISH I could sleep in, but I can't. The minute there is the faintest morning light, my eyes are open. I had been eating a bowl of cereal with SILK, but it left me lethargic and bloated, so I quit. Then, I ate 2 slices of sourdough bread with butter and jam...er..ahh...no. That didn't work either. An hour after I ate that, I was starving again, and those of you who have horses know you need energy to deal with them...and I didn't have time to stop and eat something else (or the desire to do so). So, lately I've been just having a cup of coffee in the morning, and then before I head out to the horse ranch, I make a morning smoothie. I've discovered that Fresh & Easy carries the Jamba Juice smoothie packets, which make 2 smoothies. And, at about $3.99, that's a pretty good deal. You are supposed to add apple juice and I add the F&E organic apple juice, which costs a little bit more than their regular one, but I figure..hey..it's worth it, right? I also toss in a measuring cup of Spiru-Teun, which has spirulina in it. It also has a bunch of vitamins and only 96 calories per serving. I buy it by the small container, which is about $16 (on special). Oh, and I add carob powder and organic molasses. Yum,yum! (slurp, slurp!) Sometimes I'll alternate with VEGA complete whole food health optimizer, which I buy in individual packets at Whole Foods (when we are at a Whole Foods...we don't have one in the desert)...and it has vitamins, protein, Omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids, a mixed berry blend, and a probiotic blend. The spiru-tein has 6 grams of sugar, while the VEGA has none...hmmm...I think I'm going to order a container of it! Anyway, that's my morning shake and I can make it in my blender. I'd been looking at buying a juicer from my cousin, but I think I'm going to pass on that...that's another blog later! Here are some pics of the ingredients for my morning smoothie. Oh, and I add 1 T of golden flax seeds and I eat 2 dates beforehand. Total cost to make: about $2.00 (I figure about $1.00 for the scoop of spiru-tein, and about $1.00 for the other ingredients).

Smoothies and a juicer question

2011-07-09T10:50:00.001-07:00

Now that summer is here, I'm enjoying making smoothies. Breakfast smoothies, lunch smoothies, even afternoon smoothies. I found that Fresh & Easy carries the Jamba Juice smoothies in 3 flavors: mixed berry, mango, and strawberry. They already have yogurt in them and you just add some apple juice. I buy apple juice anyway at F&Easy, so I can go there and buy the smoothie packets AND apple juice all in one trip! I sometimes add golden flaxseed and today I added 1 tablet of cayenne pepper...oh, my! That really spiced things up! I also added some organic molasses (which is full of enzymes) that I got at my local health food store...yummy! I've been going to one of the local health food stores and buying a smoothie a day, but at $5.50 EACH (gasp!), I figured I'd just stop by there once a week and make some at home. I like their "the works", which has orange juice, carrot juice, a lemon, ginger, and apple. Do any of you have a vegetable juicer? I'd love to make homemade carrot juice and I bought a 3-pack at COSTCO yesterday, but it isn't as fresh as homemade.

vacation 24/7 spouse

2011-06-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

I just spent 9 days with my spouse 24/7 and BELIEVE ME, it wasn't easy! I mean, I go off to my job early in the morning and hubby usually gets home when I do. But, now I'm home for the summer! And, that meant being with hubby 24/7 for 9 days...sigh...Is it HARD for an independent, professional woman (or any woman) to put up with your husband for 24 hours a day, day after day? Or, is it just me? I don't think so because the ranch owner's husband, who is now unemployed, is driving her CRAZY! We were talking yesterday and she said she can hardly go to the post office without him tagging along. I mean, REALLY!!!!! MEN! My husband and I had some very serious verbal sparring along the way and one day I was so mad at him that I didn't speak to him all morning. I'd missed a turnoff because I never saw the sign and he just went ballistic. Hey, buddy, I'm ONLY human! I mean, it wasn't like I couldn't drive to the next turnoff and go back the other way. There were a few times when we parked and went off hiking and taking photos that I was actually surprised to see the car still there. I figured he would dump me out somewhere and take off!!! But, he didn't and we are home now and off to work he toddled yesterday morning...THANK GOODNESS! It is going to be 113 degrees here today and I'm staying indoors with the dogs and the air conditioning and fans and cleaning up the kitchen! I enjoy my "quiet time", alone with the dogs. Do you find that you need "personal, quiet" time away from your spouse????????

No time to get sick!!!!

2011-06-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

With only 5 days of school left (THANK GOD!), this is no time for me to get sick. First of all, 4 of them are only half days. Second, I have to officially put everything away in my class room and officially check out of school Friday afternoon. But, I've been fighting a sore throat for over a week now and this morning, I have absolutely NO energy. None. Zilch. Nada. I didn't even go out for my morning walk...that's how tired I am! Hubby had some kind of stomach virus for 48 hours and I'm hoping I DO NOT get it!

Tired for two weeks, but feeling better now

2011-05-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I spent spring break up in the Sierras. Upon our return, we were both just physically exhausted! Perhaps it was getting up early and getting out to take photos, then going out and taking photos. Once we got home,we were both dead tired. For TWO WEEKS! I'm just coming out of my fog, but hubby is still in his. I'm back drinking my shakes and I've been out walking the past two mornings, so that is helping me get my energy back. My gosh! I can't lie in bed ALL WEEKEND!!!

Cottonwoods in Arizona

2011-03-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

Just some pretty cottonwoods in Peeples Valley, Arizona. I love cottonwoods and these were in a huge valley.

Lisa's journey

2011-03-14T16:58:00.001-07:00

I don't know if you are familiar with Lisa. She hosts the Creative Project and she also has her own 5 year project (http://lisaschaos.com/my-year-5-project) Additionally, she does Lisa's Chaos and Macro Monday. That's a lot! You should stop by and read her journey. It's extremely moving. Wow! What a gal! If you have a chance to visit her blog, here's the addy: http://lisaschaos.com/ Lisa, this one is for you! Bless you.

Reaction to pasta last night

2011-03-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hubby made pasta last night and after eating it, I thought I was having a heart attack! No! REALLY! It was very thick, wholesome pasta. He added some marinara sauce and some locally raised chicken, which was protein, and that was it! After eating a smaller-than-usual portion, I broke out in a sweat, I felt dizzy, I stumbled down the hallway to the bathroom...I had to just sit down and let it pass. Has that ever happened to you? I mean, we eat pasta once a week and I've NEVER had that kind of reaction! I'm fine this morning...a bit cranky and frankly, I'm not sure I've got the energy to drive up to the horse ranch. All of my camera batteries need to be recharged (a lesson learned there...NEVER throw your old batteries in your camera bag and then forget to charge them!)...DUH...I may just stay home today. If the ranch owners are gone, it will be a wasted trip anyway.

Thrift shop finds

2011-03-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

WHO CARES? I mean, really! I'm getting so tired of blogs that show off one's most recent thrift shop find! I mean, how superficial is THAT? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Honestly, I'm going to start going through the blogs I follow and if I find one with a thrift store find, I'm going to delete it. WHO FRIGGIN' CARES? How about posting some real issues?

Are we doing just TOO MUCH????

2011-02-16T05:46:00.001-08:00

Another blogger, Nuzzling Muzzles, was commenting on her day yesterday and it was pretty hectic! My aunt asked me the other day, "Are you just doing TOO MUCH?" and "Is that why you aren't getting over your bronchitis?"
Er, uh, yes! Let's see...I work a full time job and am grade level leader, which means I have additional responsibilities at school. I leave home at 6:30 a.m. and crawl back home about 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. I have 3 dogs to take care of, including our German Shepherd, with a skin condition. The latest vet thinks he has a yeast infection and now an accompaning bacterial skin infection, so yesterday, after I left school at 4:30 p.m., I drove 80 mph home on the freeway, suddenly realizing that I needed to give him his medicated bath, while it was still warm, since a rain storm is moving into the valley. Oye vei! I threw off my shirt, grabbed an old T-shirt, hosed him off, got the medicated shampoo on him, let it sit for 15 minutes (and let my blood prssure calm down!), and then hosed him off. I had visited another school yesterday morning, and I had to type up my notes for my colleagues and I never got around to that. Hubby cooked dinner of chicken and pasta and I devoured it and a FULL glass of red wine! Phew! So, between work, dogs, horses, cats that don't get along, paying bills, doing ALL the yard work around here, AND TRYING to recover from bronchitis, YEA, I'm overextended! Fortunately, I have a 4-day weekend coming up, but I'm already fighting another sore throat, which means I'll probably be sick the entire Presidents' Day vacation. Yes, these two actually shared my chair this morning. It wasn't always that peaceful...a few moments before I snapped this pic, they were fighting and hissing. Go figure! Oh, the bronchitis is back, too. I think it's from all the stress! :-(

Swine flu? HUH???

2011-01-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hubby told me today that he's been exposed to someone who had the swine flu. OH, GREAT! I'm on week 8, starting today, of my bronchitis and I'm FINALLY starting to feel normal again, and now this! I will absolutely PULL OUT MY HAIR if I get swine flu! The symptoms aren't that much different from the bronchitis I JUST got over..coughing, fever, lack of energy...but also VOMITING! ACK! I mean, I have a class room FULL of coughing and sneezing 3rd graders already...sigh...So, this afternoon I visited my local health food store and deli and had a shot of wheatgrass and a cup of their tomato vegetable soup (homemade) and a deli sandwich with tempeh an alfalfa sprouts. Oh, and I bought a baggie of their organic salad mix, an organic avocado, and two organic tomatoes and some organic dates. Yes, organic IS more expensive, but who wants to eat produce grown in pesticides? Yuck. Now I know why Grandma and Grandpa lived so long. They ate their own, home-grown veggies! Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that eating well will help me fight off whatever GERMS come my way. Finally, I stopped at TARGET and bought Lysol spray and Clorox wipes and I intend to wipe down both the kitchen and bathroom tonight with bleach!!! SO THERE!!!

Finally feeling better!!!

2011-01-19T05:27:00.000-08:00

I woke up Monday morning (Martin Luther King day) and FINALLY felt better! FINALLY, finally, finally! I did 3 loads of laundry at home and did the dishes then mowed the side lawn. Then, I drove up to the horse ranch and worked with Sunni in the arena, after he got out and ran and rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled! I guess we BOTH felt good Monday! It was the first day that I've begun to have my normal energy back, although yesterday, by the end of school, I was really dragging. This bronchitis has almost been as bad as pneumonia in zapping my energy level! I'm on vitamins and I'm eating lots of salads for lunch, so I'm hoping to get back to normal soon! I still have some mucus and I still cough, but not as much as I had been doing the last five weeks! My fear is that I'll get over this and then get it again as I have a class room FULL of coughing and sneezing children!

I'm SICK AND TIRED of being sick and tired!!!

2011-01-09T06:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's a new year. It's time for a new me! I STILL have my bronchitis (day 27...) and yesterday all I did was cough ALL DAY! Hubby and I went to Joshua Tree National Park and I think he was disgusted by all my coughing! Finally, when we got home, I took some cough syrup and fell asleep at our daughter's while she and her hubby were fixing dinner!!!! I'm EXHAUSTED by the end of a day. I have NO energy. I did notice, however, that yesterday, I wasn't coughing as much when I was out walking....hmmm...time to get the exercise/walking program back on schedule. I haven't walked since....???? Honestly, I can't even remember! I've been sidelined by this latest round of bronchitis. I'm going outside today and clean up the dog poop and weed my front flower bed, where I have thrown out African daisy seeds. They are now growing, but, alas, so are weeds! ACK!!! I need to stake up my sunflower seeds as they all got bent a couple of weeks ago when we had a really strong windstorm. I'm now taking vitamins from the health food store and I sure hope they kick in soon! I'm sick and tired of being SICK AND TIRED!!!!!

Holiday shopping? Not here!

2010-12-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Nope. We've limited our holiday shopping to just items for our grandson, Benjamin. We and our grown children DO NOT have the extra money to splurge on ridiculous presents for each other. So, last year, we all decided to only buy presents for the little one (and spoil him!) No mall holiday shopping! WHEE! No last minute gifts for hubby! DOUBLE WHEE!!!!! Just presents for the grandson! And, it's NOT that we don't love our two grown children. We do. We feed them at least two times a week. We get together for family meals on the weekends. We lend them our support whenever we can. At 31 and 30 years of age, BELIEVE ME, we do a lot together. But, I have to ask, does spending money on them equal love? I think NOT.

Getting sick again

2010-12-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

...sigh...what can I say? This will be the third round of bronchitis I've had this fall. I have a sore throat and I notice the mucus is getting thicker. There is SOMETHING going around school. Kids aren't covering their mouths when they sneeze or cough and I forgot to spray my room with LYSOL yesterday afternoon. I had 5 students out sick on Friday...I should have dosed myself with lots of vitamin C. So, today I'll stay home, sleep most of the day, take vitamin C, and cross my fingers that I'll be able to limp into school tomorrow...I'll call my doctor this morning and make an appointment. Hubby says some kind of coughing crud is going around his work, too. Tis the season!

Exercise and walking update December 12, 2010

2010-12-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

I had to take my cat, Abby, into the vet clinic today to get spayed, so I decided to stay here in the desert. I'll go visit my horses tomorrow. So, with some free time after dropping her off, I headed out to Thousand Palms. I wanted to hike out to the palm oasis which caught on fire about two weeks ago and burned overnight. There were a couple other cars in the turnout and I hiked partway with a young couple, who then went off on another trail to the Coachella Valley Preserve. I came across another couple on their way back, so I felt safe hiking there alone. The area still smelled like smoke from the fire. I was pleased that I wasn't winded at all. It was an interesting hike because most of it was in very sandy soil and that required much more leg work! It was about half a mile into the burned area and I got so warm I took off my outer vest. I investigated the fire area and headed back. Again, while it was warm, I wasn't really winded. I attribute this to my morning walks of 15 or 20 or 30 minutes. I'm glad my endurance is beginning to lengthen.

The Invisible Woman syndrome

2010-12-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

As I sit here with my laptop on my lap, watching the Oprah program about "aging beauties"...Teri Hatcher, Cybill Shepherd, and Linda Evans, I realize (HA!) that I'm now in that "invisible woman" age...over 50 and no longer attractive. My husband told me that when I was younger, when we walked into a restaurant, heads would turn to look at me. One time, while he was working as a bartender in Riverside, I stopped by (it was election night) to chat with him. Three men tried to buy me drinks, so he told me to leave. I never really flaunted my beauty, and for me, I 've never liked my small, blue eyes. I asked my husband what attracted him to me and he said, "Your brains and your forehead!" Eh? My forehead? I have a large forehead and I've had bangs at various times, but, frankly, I've always hated having bangs in my way. I DID have gorgeous, thick blonde hair, thanks to both my father (the thickness) and my mother's family (again, for the thickness). Both my mother and aunt were redneads and my father had black hair, and NOBODY can tell me where the blonde hair gene came from! I suspect that it was from my maternal grandfather (who I only knew as blonde)...the English/Scots gene that runs in that family. However, my paternal line also includes a strong Spanish/Celtic strand, so perhaps it came from the Celts. Anyway, I still have thick, long, blonde hair, but it is now streaked with gray. I have my grandmother's gray streaks and I wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING!!! I am proud to have those "grandma hairs" and I would NEVER color them! But, the heads don't turn anymore, doors aren't opened, and I can't get waited on at Home Depot. But, you know, I really don't mind! I prefer to spend my time at home with hubby, with my grown children and grandchild, with my cats, dogs, and horses! So, I'm over 50, so what? Oops! My flash didn't work for this pic,but you get the idea...

weight loss~YEAH~

2010-12-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

See? Having bronchitis and throwing up because of my antibiotics was a GOOD thing! I've lost enough weight that my tight pants are no longer tight! HA~ I need to keep this weight loss going! NO cookies, NO carrot cake from Fresh & Easy...NO dessert and NO ALCOHOL! I'm pleased that my stomach is no longer larger than my boobs!

Bronchitis and not being able to walk

2010-11-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

...sigh...bronchitis AGAIN! I JUST got over it and now I've got the coughing CRUD again! Oye vei! I was prescribed an antiobiotic (augmentin), which made me sick to my stomach, so now I'm back on a Z-pack. I have parent conferences this coming week and I NEED to be able to talk for more than 30 seconds without a coughing fit!!! I'm completely unable to walk because I easily get short of breath, so I'm staying home (except to visit the horses this afternoon, when it warms up!) and resting. Next week will be "@*## week!!!

Haven't walked for two days

2010-11-17T04:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't had the time to walk for two mornings, but I'm heading out today! We had a county "walkthrough" of all classrooms at my school yesterday, so I headed out to get to school early. I have missed my walks, but, honestly, I needed a couple of days off. My leg muscles are building up and I needed a break! I don't have to be at school early this morning, or for the rest of the week, so I'll take the time to enjoy my morning walks. I like counting the jackrabbits and hearing the ravens and coyotes!

Sunday morning walk

2010-11-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

I was able to get out and walk every morning for the four days I was off school....Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And, boy, am I feeling it! My leg muscles and back muscles are SORE! But, my hip doesn't hurt as much, so I guess all that walking is good! I walked for an HOUR on Friday and 45 minutes Saturday and 30 minutes on Sunday. Yesterday I counted 10 jackrabbits and cottontails, one hawk, and heard 3 coyotes up on a bluff nearby. I LOVE to get out as the sun is rising and view the beautiful morning light, like in these photos! However, I'm too lazy to get moving on this Monday morning! I may take just a 20 minute walk, though, if I get my lazy BUTT in gear!

Thursday morning 111110

2010-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

I didn't take my camera with me Tuesday morning, but I did walk for about 25 minutes. Wednesday morning I had a staff meeting, and I was running late, so I didn't walk. ACK! I missed my morning walk all day, but it was the last day before my four day weekend! This morning I walked for almost an hour. It was an incredibly clear and crisp morning, with a hint of a breeze, and I found a new path to follow. Here are some pics from this morning's walk. I saw at least 4 HUGE jackrabbits and this fellow was so used to people that he didn't scare off! He just sat and looked at me! I didn't think that was healthy for him, so I shooed him away.

Monday morning walk 11/08/10

2010-11-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Now that the time has changed, I FINALLY have time (and daylight) to walk before school! So, Monday morning I began my walking program. Hubby and I were gone over the weekend, to Arizona, and that was the weekend the time changed, so Monday morning, I was ready. I've decided to walk along a nearby resort. I see lots of other folks out walking there in the morning. I'd been going for about 15 minutes before school, but this week I cranked it up to about 25 minutes. Here are some scenes from Monday morning's walk. A flock of geese flew overhead and I scared a hawk out of a tree. He reappeared at the top of this one, but I never did get a good photo of him!

The longer I work, the more I want to get out and enjoy nature!!!

2010-10-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

...sigh...The longer I work, the more I want to get out and enjoy nature whenever I can. I'm stuck in a concrete classroom with 28 students this year. There's one door, which I have to keep closed or the air conditioner doesn't work. Yes, I get to go outside for recess and lunch, but, for the rest of the day, I'm in a stuffy, cramped, small room with 28 wild, exciteable third graders. So, on weekends, I HAVE to get out and drive up the mountain or out into the desert. I enjoy waking up early and taking photos of sunrises. I explore mountain dirt roads. I travel out through desert canyons. The only time I stay home on weekends is if I'm sick! I NEED my outdoor time! How about you?

Honey, where do you want your ashes spread?

2010-10-05T17:36:00.001-07:00

My husband asked me this question the other day. We've both agreed to be cremated and not take up land space. That's fine with me. My dad's ancestors were Vikings and my mom's were Germans. But, I think I hurt his feelings when I said, "Oh, I'd just like mine scattered wherever my horses are." I guess he was thinking (hoping?) I'd want to go with him, somewhere in the Sierras. While I love the Sierras, they have not been my lifelong passion like horses have. I grew up toddling around my great-uncle's thoroughbreds stabled at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar. I grew up riding horses whenever I could. I could smell out a stable a mile away and I'd always BEG my parents to let me ride. I remember one time I went on a ride up in Wyoming. I was just a kid and my horse, in his eagerness to get back to the barn, tried to unload me on a tree branch. I just held on! It didn't matter what town we were in...I would always find the stables. I took lessons (FINALLY!) when I was in middle school, but since they interferred with my music, I only took them for a year. I rode with my cousins in Washington, my cousin Valerie down here in the desert (and fell off twice with both cousins), but got right back on their horses. And, when I could afford it, I bought my first horse and I now have 5. Horses are my passion. They gave me life when I was fighting melanoma. They have kept me grounded and focused. They have helped me lower my blood pressure. So, why wouldn't I wish to spend my eternity with them? I guess my husband was a little taken aback and I hope I didn't hurt his feelings! But, he asked, and I gave my answer.

Why teachers are burned out...LONG VENT

2010-09-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you who homeschool your children, I SALUTE YOU! I wish I could have done that. And, with days like today, I'm COUNTING the years until retirement! First, I called a parent at home to inform her that for two days now, her PRECIOUS CHILD has had a behavior notice. He conveniently "forgot" to take the first one home. Yesterday, he bothered other students in his group, got into their desks, made a paper airplane out of his English class work, and refused to follow along during reading. So, he got another behavior notice. I called MOM this morning to inform her and this is her side of the conversation: "Do NOT EVER CALL ME AGAIN! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" and slammed the phone down on me. Excuse me? Eh? I'm not the one who bothers other students in the group. I'm not the one who makes paper airplanes out of class work. I'm not the one who doesn't finish work. I'm not the one who RUNS out of the class every afternoon, leaving a total MESS on my desk!!! This child has been openly defiant since day one. He had two other teachers last year because mom felt sorry for her little angel and pulled him out of one class. He glares at me and refuses to take out his books for class work. He has a MAJOR attitude!!! Then, a girl informs me, "My birthday is tomorrow and my mom is pregnant and can't bring in cupcakes. She doesn't have any money." So, I take her outside and said, "Oh, honey, I'll bring in something for the class, you just tell your mom not to worry about it." At the end of the day, she said to me, "Oh, my mom just KNEW you'd do something, so she isn't worrying about it!" Eh? Excuse me? Like I'm a sucker or something? Geez...shaking head...that's the state of American education today. I need some wine tonight!!!

HEAT!!!

2010-09-15T06:08:00.001-07:00

It was 107 degrees here in the desert on Monday and 105 yesterday. Now, you would think that us long-term desert dwellers could handle the heat, but NO! After nearly 3 months of triple digit temperatures, yesterday it all got to me. My grade level had not only afternoon yard duty ( in the heat), but also back gate duty after school. That means we ALL got to stand on the asphalt driveway behind the school and make sure the kiddos crossed carefully. However, after being out in the heat at 1:45 - 2:00 for afternoon recess, we then had to go back out after school in the heat again. We were already dehydrated and that extra exposure to heat caused one teacher to get muscle spasms later (a sign of dehydration). I was able to go to our daughter's house for 2 1/2 hours before "Back to School" night, drink 3 LARGE glasses of water, and pass out for an hour. It's just that our bodies have been coping all summer and I, like others, am READY for the triple digit temps to go away for the rest of the year. I was lucky that I did have 1 bottle of water in the classroom, so I was able to drink it and hydrate. Oye vei! By the beginning of next week, we SHOULD have double digit temps, but I am SO READY for summer to be over!!!!!

Musical Monday 090610

2010-09-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Shania Twain and this song with Billy Currington, in particular, "Party for Two". For some reason, I can't get it to copy and paste, so here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzD0nd7tzNI

I love his deep voice and I also love her boots in this video! Enjoy!

Getting my biological clock ready for back to school!

2010-08-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've always been an early riser. however, that means by 8:00 p.m., I am konked out for the night! Sometimes I wake up at 4:00 a.m., but most mornings I wake up EXACTLY at 5:00 a.m. BOING! My eyes are open and I'm ready to start the day! That's a good thing for the school year, however. I can eat my breakfast, feed all the animals (dogs, cats, wild birds), water out front, and maybe even work in a 15 minute walk (but NOT in this heat and humidity!). And, leave for school by 7:00, get there at 7:30, and have 30 minutes to prep. BUT...a friend and fellow teacher stays up until MIDNIGHT, sleeps in until 10 or 11:00 a.m.!!! For REAL! And, she can't figure out why she's late for school every day! HELLO! YOU NEED TO KNOCK OFF THE STAYING UP until midnight and reset your biological clock! (...shaking head...) I just watched a show about this on TV. They said that your body needs to learn to adjust to your new schedule (or old one) and, with school starting in one week, I'm glad mine is already on the "back to school schedule"! How about you? Have you had to revise your schedule? Oh, ABC news is just about to do a report about bedtimes and school grades!

Healthy eating! The DIET started this weekend!!!

2010-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Okay. The diet started this weekend. Not really a diet, just a return to healthy eating. I've been eating CRAP all summer, drinking wine every night, and I'm sick of it. My body is screaming for a break! I haven't had alcohol for nearly a week now and I don't miss it! I just drink my sparkling water and I'm content! We're going to dinner at our son's tonight and I'm sure hubby will bring 3 or 4 bottles of wine, but he can drink them! I mean, ENOUGH ALREADY!!! I don't NEED to drink wine every night! So, this weekend, armed with the fresh food from the farmers' market, I returned to my healthy eating ways! YEAH! (happy dance!) You know, you can't really eat healthy food until YOU WANT TO and I hadn't reached that point until now!!! But, I'm there now and I'm ready to eat healthy foods again!

Healthy eating~farmer's market

2010-08-08T07:36:00.001-07:00

Well, my husband paid me some money that he owed me because I had to pay for the air conditioner to be fixed, so I immediately drove out to my favorite health food store and bought sunflower sprouts, broccoli sprouts, non-antibiotic roasted turkey, and some healthy no-preservative sourdough bread. I made us each a turkey sandwich for lunch and enjoyed every mouthful! Then, yesterday, I visited the local farmer's market up in our mountains and came home with tomatoes, corn, peaches, and plums! Yum, yum! What a feast we will have today! There's nothing like fresh fruit and vegetables, right?

Back to healthy food

2010-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Our family has been watching various food shows on tv (Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Last Food Network Star) and I realized how far I've gone astray from my healthy eating last summer. Last summer I was eating lots of broccoli sprouts, sunflower sprouts, and roasted red peppers. This summer, however, I've diverged from these food items for a couple of reasons. First, they are expensive. I mean, they ARE! Second, I have to drive across town to find them at my local Clark's Nutritional Center. Yes, they carry them there, but it is all the way across town. So, maybe Friday I'll head out that way and stop at Kohl's and see if they have skirts on sale. I MISS my raw food eats! I used to make a pita bread sandwich with sprouts and red peppers and veggie mayo (no eggs, just soy). And, the raw ingredients have so many enzymes and vitamins! They are not at all like processed foods! So, I need to return to the raw foods and get the benefits of the enzymes and vitamins! How about you???

I need to VENT~~~

2010-07-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

Someone wrote into our local paper yesterday announcing that it is the TEACHER'S fault that kids are being passed on from grade to grade and are getting dumber.
EXCUSE ME?
I teach 3rd grade. I didn't have these kids for 7 years prior to them coming in to me, in August, with the skills or lack thereof which they have. I am NOT their mother! It is up to the P-A-R-E-N-T-S to sing to them as babies, to read them stories, to take them out into the world and explore it. It is up to the PARENTS to make sure they are reading books at home. It is up to the PARENTS to make sure their children can count change and know how to correctly get it.
I have these students, yes, from August through mid-June and I do my best WITH THEM THE WAY THEY COME TO ME. By the beginning of third grade, some of them can't read!!! And, is that my fault? Some of them can't count to 100. And, WHOSE fault is that?????????????????? I had one girl last year who held her pencil in such a contrived way, I honestly don't know how she could write! I had another girl who could BARELY count to 100. And, I was expected to teach her how to add, subtract, multiply, and DIVIDE? I did my best, but I'm sure her test scores are in the toilet this year. And, that is MY FAULT? I called her mother, who NEVER came to parent conference or never called me back. I kept calling. Finally, Mom showed up one day with cupcakes for the class (for her daughter's birthday) and I was able to talk to her for two minutes until she literally RAN out of the door! One girl this year was so HYPER AND UNFOCUSED that she couldn't sit still! And, I'm supposed to teach her long division? Yup. It's all my fault that these kids don't know anything. The parents just get to sit back, vote for insipid candidates, and blame the teachers. Believe ME, this year, as soon as I give my students their diagnostic tests, I'm going out to homes, sit down with the parents, and insist that they help me and put down the six pack of Budweiser!

WHERE is the summer going?

2010-07-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

It has now been 4 weeks since the end of school and I'm sitting here wondering, "WHERE has the time gone?" Let's see...we took our daughter and son-in-law with us to St. George, UT for 5 days and visited Zion, Bryce, and the north rim of the Grand Canyon, came home for 9 days, left again for northern California for 12 days, home 2 weeks, head out again, home for 2 weeks, head out again. Hubby HAS to take his vacation days this summer or lose them, so off we will go! I haven't been able to find the time to consistently drive up to my horses and work with them yet. It's pretty "hit and miss". And, I can't afford to pay my cousin to come over and help me with training lessons, so I figure this summer is pretty much a "no gain" one. Can't afford lessons, but I need to move forward with the herd. I've been working with Sunni pretty consistently and he's made a LOT of progress, but he tends to be a "drama queen" and I know he'll spook if he gets scared, so I'm trying to desensitize him to as many things as I can and work with him every visit. But, with 4 other horses, there just isn't enough time for me to work with each horse each visit! I've pretty much come to realize that I'll get done whatever I get done and that will be it. No hurry...Sunni says "No hurry, Mom!"

I feel like summer vacation has FINALLY started!

2010-06-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

We are finally back home after a quick 5 day vacation in Utah. We stayed in St. George and traveled to Zion National Park, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon National Park. We took our daughter and son-in-law with us and had a BBQ at the hotel each evening except the last one, when we all went over to Olive Garden since our daughter had some gift cards. Apparently us "old folks" wore out two 30-something young people! They couldn't WAIT to get home! As for me, today is really my first summer day at home. My plan is to work on the kitchen (my plan this week is to tackle one room each morning), then drive up and work with the horses this afternoon. At least, that's the plan. Most people don't realize that it takes teachers a while to "download". I still haven't relaxed yet. Most years, I don't let down until after July 4th. we are still in "school mode" (I woke up this morning right on time...4:45 am). It will take a couple of weeks until my body adjust to summer time! Even our daughter notices that it is difficult for her to relax and sleep late! She DID sleep a lot on the trip, however, and missed a lot of scenery. She said, "I have a whole school year's worth of sleep to catch up on!" She and her husband will be flying to Portland July 1 for some R&R with a friend up there and I'm sure she'll relax by then.

Summer book reading: The Last Stand

2010-06-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I went to COSTCO on Saturday and I picked up this book~~The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick. Mr. Philbrick is known for his two previous books: Mayflower, and In the Heart of the Sea. I didn't know he had an interest in the West. I am always interested in reading books about either the West or desert. I just recently read Desert Sojourn and I'm in the middle of Desert Solitaire. This is his account of the battle of the Little Bighorn, Custer's Last Stand. I have never visited the battlefield there at the Little Bighorn and I would like to visit it someday. Hopefully after reading this book, I'll have a better understanding of both sides~Custer's and Sitting Bull's. I've already promised to pass this book on to my son-in-law when I'm done with it. He told me he doesn't really know anything about Custer or the battle of the Little Bighorn. I was kind of shocked when he told me this because, as a history major, I was sure he knew SOMETHING about it. Apparently not. So, back to the book I go! Do you enjoy reading historical books? Next I want to read Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History.

Just some thoughts

2010-06-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

The last day of school was yesterday and it was bittersweet. This year's class was a rough group! My group the previous year was very well behaved. They got down to work and they WORKED! HARD. And, their test scores were good. Out of 20 kids, all improved except for three and of those three, one remained the same. There is always a big dip in third grade test scores statewide because here in California, the teacher READS the questions to the kiddos. Not so in 3rd grade. We don't read them anything! So, they are on their own! We practiced and practiced all year and I am crossing my fingers that this year's group improved, at least a little, over their scores last year. But, who knows? Their behavior was so AWFUL that I'm just not sure! I had some wild, hyper boys (one of them is now on Ridolin (sp?)). He used to spread his arms and "fly" around the classroom! He couldn't focus or concentrate. I know some parents don't wish to put their child on drugs, but these parents agreed and it made a real difference in his behavior and attitude the last month of school. I wasn't sure how our final goodbye would be this year. Would they run SCREAMING out of the classroom? Or, come back for hugs?

Well, they ALL lined up for hugs! I gave LOTS and LOTS of hugs and fought back the tears. MY BABIES WERE LEAVING! Like Charlotte's little spiderlings, they were going off to new adventures! ACK! Some even lingered, wanting another hug and another! I'm going to see if I have their addresses and if I do, I'll send them postcards from our vacation spots this summer. I've always done that in the past and the kiddos enjoy getting postcards from all over the southwest.

So, today, my first real day of summer vacation, I'm in a quandry. While I want to go visit the horses, the forecast is for...THUNDERSTORMS in the mountains! ACK! Hmmm.....I can see rain off in the distance even here in the desert. I may go up around lunch time and work with Scout and Cali and let Gigondas out into the arena...who knows?

Last day of school!~~whoo, whoo!!!

2010-06-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

It is FINALLY here~~the LAST day of school. I was thinking all week that I've always wanted another week or two weeks with my classes, to make sure they are completely ready for fourth grade. But, with this group, NOPE! I'm DONE with them. They were DONE with me after the state testing back in May. They've done NO WORK all this week, preferring to ignore me and sit with their friends. Getting them back into focus has been a daily battle. Finally, yesterday, I just gave up and let them play games. I played Pick Up Sticks with one of my unruly boys and it was good just to sit and observe him. Turns out, he plays it all the time with his aunt. He won 3 games and I won 2. He's REALLY good! Then, I moved on to UNO, playing with 5 other kids. It's interesting to watch the kids in a non-school activity and see how their minds work. I wish I could play games all day with them the first day of school and see how they think! Today is game day, movie day, and party day. Then, we'll stack up the chairs and they will head out the door. I'll stop at AAA and pick up maps for our upcoming summer trips and dream of the Sierras.

Farewells today

2010-06-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

My school had its annual luncheon/awards ceremony for teachers today. One teacher is retiring after 19 years of teaching. My district offered a generous retirement package. I was tempted until I realized that I'd have to pay $600 a MONTH to continue my health insurance coverage. Two teachers were given their RIF notices (reduction in force), which means they were fired. Five others have left to transfer to other schools since our projected enrollment for next year is down. But, wait a minute! First grade numbers have changed and now we need two teachers! What a bunch of BULL! First of all, one of the RIFFed teachers is a young lady in my grade level. She began teaching 3 years ago and I "adopted" her and took her under my wing. She is an excellent teacher. Either 12 or 15 teachers in my district are being called back, but she is number 18. I couldn't even speak at the luncheon today, but I gave her a big hug and we both started crying. Here is a young lady, her whole future ahead of her, who has basically been FIRED by my school district. In the meantime, 45 teachers have been fired and some may be rehired, but GUESS WHAT? They will be rehired under a "temporary contract" which means the district won't have to pay for their benefits and they won't have ANY health insurance coverage. That is about a $10,000 reduction in salary. Hmmmm....what a racket. So, my colleague has now cleaned out her room and tomorrow will be her final day, perhaps forever, of being a teacher. What a sad thing. I shall miss her. And, kids for years, will miss her. And, that's an unfortunate thing.

Stainless Steel Coffee Maker

2010-06-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I bought a stainless steel coffee maker. This was after my $69.00 Mr. Coffee went out and I refused to buy another electronic coffee maker. Oh, how I LOVE this one! I just put it on the stove and VIOLA! Coffee is done. And, during our occasional blackouts here in the desert (especially in the summer, during the monsoon season!), I can still make coffee in the morning. We awoke one morning, a couple of months ago, to NO electricity in the house. But, I was able to make coffee. I'll NEVER buy another electronic one again. EVERRRRRrrrrrrrr~~~!!!!

Can't WAIT for summer vacation~~~

2010-05-23T06:33:00.001-07:00

I don't know...this school year is different from the rest. I absolutely CANNOT WAIT until the last day of school! Maybe it is the mixture of this year's class? Maybe it is the fact that after 3 weeks of state testing and another FULL week of district testing, I'm burned out? Maybe it is the fact that I want to get out and explore new places? Well, whatever it is, I'm itchin' for summer vacation! The teacher next to me has already torn down his bulletin boards and has cleaned his room, but he's transferring to another school, and he is DONE teaching! With 3 weeks left? And, after our principal said, "Instruction WILL continue until June 11!!!" ???? Eh? What's he doing with HIS class for the next three weeks? Yup. You guessed it...movies and LOTS of P.E. NO instruction. And, I feel that is a sad thing for his students. I get some of them in my class for English language instruction and guess what? They DON'T know what a subject is, they CANNOT write complete sentences, and they certainly don't know how to write! (too many movies!) So, anyway, he has already "checked out" and I'm struggling to keep my students focused for the next three weeks. Seems a little unfair, eh? We have been studying and learning about desert animals, since our reading story has been about unique animals of the desert southwest. They HAVE been engaged and eager to learn about Gila monsters, coyotes, peccaries, and tarantulas! But, they, like me, know there are only 14 more days of school and they are eager for summer to begin. And, so am I , believe me!!!

Testing and 3 more weeks until Memorial Day

2010-05-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

Our state testing is over (at least for some of us!)...My kids were so horrible on Friday that I wrote 4 referrals. I've NEVER done that in 23 years of teaching. One girl brought a little flashlight and turned around and flashed it into the eyes of the kids behind her - REFERRAL! Another boy was playing with his "obleeck" (like silly putty) during reading and didn't know what page we were on = REFERRAL! Another boy had a filthy picture that he brought from home and was looking at that instead of reading = REFERRAL! And, finally, in the afternoon, his partner gave him the finger and said, "I'm going to poke you with this!" = REFERRAL! What a day!!!!!!!! I have 3 more weeks until Memorial Day weekend and I'm not sure my sanity is going to last! The kids are burned out and BORED, teachers are stressed to the point of coming in late daily, and our principal wants to bring in a group of principals for "show and tell"????!!!! EH? Um, I don't think so....Honestly, I'm DONE with this class. I've done all I can with them. The last day of school, at 12:30 p.m., I'm going to just open the door, point, and say, "GO!" We are leaving for the Sierras right after school is over and I can't WAIT! My mind, honestly, isn't even on school right now. I'm burned out.

Lighting 042510

2010-04-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

My husband took this photo of our thoroughbred mare, Gigondas, one September afternoon last year. She had just rolled and rolled in the arena and stirred up a lot of dust! We could barely see her on the ground and when she finally stood up, he clicked this photo. I like the way she isn't outlined, but appears as an unearthly creature (which she CAN be, sometimes!!!) Lighting. 042510

Do NOT step here!!! ABC Wednesday 042110

2010-04-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

As I headed out for my morning walk Tuesday morning, I went down another path. Now, living here in the desert (in the city, however), I have found a pristine place to go hiking. There IS a rattlesnake warning sign and it IS spring in the desert, and that means baby rattlesnakes are crawling out of their holes and exploring the great world around them. And, as I passed by a shrub, I heard one. Just a little "zzzzz". Very quick. But, I immediately knew what it was. A warning. "Do NOT come near me. Do NOT step here. No, No, NO!" I got the message. I froze, every muscle in my body tense with fear. I felt it down in my stomach, in some ancient place. Then, I moved off in the other direction to let this little one alone. "N" is for NO!!!...ABC Wednesday, April 21, 2010.

Something MUST be working!

2010-04-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've lost over and inch and a half around my waist! YEAH! Must be all that hiking! And, since I didn't hike since last Sunday, I've noticed that my leg cramps are starting up today. So, I'll be heading out in a few minutes!

Good news~bloodwork

2010-04-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

I went in last Friday (my last day of vacation) for my annual bloodwork. Ugh! I dread going it. I'm borderline diabetic (diabetes runs in BOTH my dad and mom's families!) and I've had to really rethink what I eat! But, my glucose is down to 98, which is less than it was last year. And, it's below the 110 cutoff, so I am relieved. (Last year I was at 107~). I believe I can do more to lower it, including drinking less wine! I read the labels on my morning cereal and I've found one with a low carb number, which still tastes pretty good! I DO use either Silk or Fresh & Easy soy on my cereal, and that does add some carbs, but I figure...well, I need a good breakfast to begin my day! Everything else was good, too...low LDL, good HDL count, cholesterol was a bit high at 190 (normal is 200), but I can work on that, too. Honestly, I think all my walking is helping. And, I've switched from drinking Vitamin Water (with carbs) at lunch to plain water. If I can get dressed in the next 10 minutes, I'll have time for a walk this morning!!!

I'm feeling pretty good!

2010-04-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

This past week was my week off school, my spring break. And, it was a busy week! I also had Good Friday off, so I've had a total of 10 days off school. I, and my fellow teachers, REALLY needed a break. State testing is approaching and many of us are burned out by constant testing, testing, testing! There's hardly any time for teaching! I didn't do much Friday and Saturday...went for my morning walk, and took some photos. We had our Easter dinner Saturday night, and went back to our daughter's for more food on Sunday. Monday morning,hubby and I hiked about 3 miles to the pond at the Coachella Valley Preserve. Tuesday he went in to work and I went up to the horses. Wednesday we stayed home and I did some yard work. Thursday we drove through Joshua Tree National Park and hiked the 1.1 mile loop to Barker Dam. Friday morning I drove up to see the horses and then met my cousin out near Pushawalla Canyon and hiked about 3 miles. Saturday I went back to the horses and wormed them and brushed out the two mustangs. Sunday morning we took our daughter and son-in-law back through Joshua Tree National Park and did the complete loop at Barker Dam. Phew! What a week! The thing I've noticed is that the MORE I walk, the LESS my legs hurt at night. I had been having leg cramps and "restless legs" when I sit in my chair at night, but, after doing all that walking this week, I noticed I don't have it. So, I need to make sure I get out and walk as much as I can! I've also noticed that my appetite has gone way down when I'm out walking! Instead of living to eat, I am now eating to live and I'm not eating that much! Finally, I've switched completely from Vitamin Water, at 125 calories a bottle, so plain water! I was a real glutton and drank 1 Vitamin Water bottle every day for lunch. I'm now switching to plain water. No more needless calories for me! I also noticed that, during our hikes, I was able to go up steps using either leg. I had been favoring my right leg because my left one was weak after my accident. Now, I can go up stairs and steps using either leg! That's a big step forward! I still have the tingling and numbness in my feet, but my legs are strengthening. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on a horse soon!!! Photo is the trail leading to Barker Dam at Joshua Tree National Park. There were many steps on this trail and I didn't have trouble with any of them!

Some sobering thoughts

2010-04-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

We got hit with a large tax bill this year and were totally UNprepared. Last year, we got a $2,000 refund. This year, we owe $5,000 in both federal and state taxes. It appears that my district office screwed up my withholding and didn't do what I asked them to do LAST April, so, for a year, I had less money taken out of my paycheck for taxes. WHAM! My accountant told me to sit down. I nearly cried. I only have a few thousand in my savings and that has to get me through the summer, when I have a reduced summer paycheck. So, the feds and the state will get $500 a month for the next year. And, I now have $900 LESS a month take-home pay. $400 more in withholding and $500 for the taxes. Of course, it's coming out of MY paycheck....hmmmm...that's a whole OTHER story. But, when I sat down to do a new monthly budget, things were pretty bleak. I have absolutely NO disposable income. I mean, NONE! I can barely afford to feed and board my horses now. I'll have to ask hubby for gasoline money for my car! If hubby takes on some of the bills, I'll still barely squeek by every month. And, this morning, he told me if HE loses his job, the horses will have to go. That's a pretty sobering thought. With tax bills, credit card bills, parent loans, AND horses to board, something will have to go, and, as most of you know, it's ALWAYS the horses that go first. So, please pray for us that hubby keeps his job and our horses will continue to stay with us! I have been having nightmares for about a week, ever since I got the news about our taxes. Hopefully the economy will continue to improve, but, as you know, working for a big corporation is NO guarantee of a job. And, folks over at the hotel have been losing their jobs weekly. Happy Spring break, eh? So, I'll be combing through my closets, donating whatever I can to charity, to get our charitable contributions up. I do NOT need more income. I need more deductions! ACK! Ain't life grand?

Pink slips

2010-04-02T05:50:00.001-07:00

Pink slips have been given to two teachers at my school. One of them is the young teacher across from my classroom. She's been with our district for about 4 years now and her sister teaches at another school in my district. She's a lot like our daughter and I have enjoyed watching her grow and become a confident part of our team. She got her pink slip March 15th. I have noticed a change in her. She's not as confident now. She's giving away her stuff. Some of my students go to her room for ELD (English Language Development) and they come back with books. She's leaving. She KNOWS she's leaving. She got a pink slip last year, too, but was rehired in August. This year, nope. She's LEAVING! A couple of us asked her what she will do and she just shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know." I know she has a house near our son and I know she paid about $100,000 more than he did. What will become of her house? Does she have another job lined up? I'm reluctant to ask her because #1 it's NONE of my business and #2, she's a very quiet gal. Still, I worry about her. The teaching profession is losing a young, energetic, and skillful teacher. She won't be with us next year and that is a loss for those students. Ain't life grand?

Spring is here and summer will be coming!!!

2010-03-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, SPRING is here and that means summer is just around the corner. Once the temps get into the 100's, it is time to turn on the air conditioner. AACCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!! Desert dwellers DO get an extra allowance for the summer, but we better NOT turn it on before July 4th!!! I remember how hot it was last May and we dearly paid for turning on the a/c in May!!! So, I'm crossing my fingers that May won't have temps in the 100's, but you never know. We can take temps in the 90's. Actually, that is fairly comfortable here in our desert and we don't turn on the a/c until it gets to about 99 degrees. Our house is shaded by mature trees in the front (the south side) and a nice cross breeze helps to keep it cool. HOWEVER, our air conditioner is over 10 years old and that means it will konk out any summer now. Most a/c's here in the desert southwest only last about 10 years. So, we may be replacing our unit this summer. Our city DOES have an energy saver-program and we may need to take advantage of that, PLUS, we would get a tax credit for 2010 on this year's taxes next year. So, I'm thinking it's time to replace our air conditioner and central air unit. Phew. $$$$$! No, this isn't our air conditioner. This is the brand both kids have in their houses. We actually have one that is one ton heavier than what was recommended and it's worked now for 10 years, but...??? Will it get us through another summer?

My cell phone is KAPUT!

2010-03-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

In total frustration with my iphone last night, I threw it on the ground. This has been building for some time. First, I can NEVER answer the @#%$ thing in time and I loose calls. My fingers just can't slide the arrow across it to answer calls fast enough. Second, I HATED the keyboard for texting. Third, calls were constantly being dropped mid-call. So, when it rang last night with hubby's "nuclear war" tone, I raced across the room to answer it, missed his call, tried to call him back (without success), and, after the week I've had, I threw it on the cement floor. That was it. It was KAPUT. Frankly, I'm relieved. Do cell phones actually make our life easier? Mine never worked while I was driving up the mountain to the horses because there aren't any cell towers up there. It was big and bulky. Our daughter has a refurbished Blackberry and I'm thinking about looking at one of those. I mean, aren't devices SUPPOSED to make our life easier? That STUPID cell phone just frustrated me to no end and raised my blood pressure. I probably DO need a cell phone, but I certainly don't need email alerts or a built-in camera, as I always have at least one camera with me and two little Nikons in my purse! Ain't life grand? Oh, and this is after my appointment Monday afternoon with our CPA, in which I found we owe several THOUSANDS of dollars in taxes this year. I need to get up with my horses and relax!

Daily walks

2010-03-18T18:18:00.001-07:00

I've been walking now every day for about 10 days. I WAS walking in the mornings, before the time change. I started out at 10 minutes a day, then up to 15 and then 20. This was up at the local mountain visitor center, which lies at the base of the mountain road that I take to see my horses. But, with the time change, I had difficulty adjusting to the morning's darkness, so Sunday I drove over to the Living Desert Reserve and renewed my membership. The LDR has marked trails and trails along the animal and plant exhibits which are well marked. They also have a 1.5 mile "inner loop" trail, which I used to do in the afternoons, but I haven't worked up to that yet. I've been stopping by the LDR every afternoon this week after school. And, the last couple of evenings I noticed that my leg isn't hurting. My leg, which cramped up in the evenings, and in fact, both legs (which I thought had "restless leg syndrome") haven't cramped or have been restless for a week! So, my walking has been beneficial in that regard! I also noticed, when I blew my whistle for recess today, that I have more lung capacity! That's because, during my morning walks, I was walking through sand and a couple of times I was huffing and puffing! While it was 88 degrees here this afternoon, I went to the LDR for an hour and walked over to the butterfly exhibit and spent about 15 minutes there watching the butterflies and I even saw a hummingbird nest with two babies inside! I like it there. It's indoors and there are plenty of flowers for the hummers and the butterflies! In fact, they have a couple of mirrors and you are supposed to stop and check to make sure you aren't leaving with any butterflies! It is a very cool and restful spot~~perfect after a day of third graders who really aren't interested in perimeter or area! Here are some pics from my visit to the butterfly exhibit today...

Anxiety attack today~~STRESS!

2010-03-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

For only the second time in 23 years of teaching, I left school early today. The first time was about 10 years ago when my bipolar mother called me AT SCHOOL and demanded to speak to me. Well, she sure did! I was in tears by the time she hung up. Fortunately, my principal was in the library at the time of the call (I was there with my class) and saw me in tears. He actually was kind enough to ask me, "Do you need to go home?" and I did. Today was the second time. I had a meeting yesterday afternoon regarding one student in my class. She IS emotionally disturbed. She constantly harasses other students and writes, "I HATE ME" on papers. I immediately went to the school psychologist when she first did this. It was a couple of weeks before he even spoke to her. Her classroom behavior has disintegrated so the point that if I sit with her and work one-on-one with her for 15 minutes, she cannot do her work independently. She's back harassing my students, who are desperately TRYING to do their assignments and learn something! She is constantly threatening other students, especially fixating on kindergarteners (she's a third grader). I'm getting NO support from her parents. When she misbehaves to the point that I cannot teach my class, I always write up a referral and send her to the office. She recently has been placed in another classroom for the afternoon, where she sits and colors and LOVES IT. HA! I bet. No work. So, at the meeting yesterday afternoon, with the parents, mom ("the apple doesn't fall far from the tree") got hysterical and screamed at me for 30 minuutes from across the table. "THAT TEACHER" turned her entire class against my child. "THAT TEACHER" told the other students to IGNORE my child! "THAT TEACHER" can't TEACH my child~! Excuse me? I could teach her if she could FOCUS for a nanosecond. But, she's too distracted in a regular classroom with 20 students to even be able to work independently. I tried putting up a science board around her. She peered over it and continued to harass other students. I put her in the back of the room. She harassed the two students sitting closest to her. I faced her desk against the back wall. She leaned in her chair, put her feet ON HER DESK and harassed students near her. Honestly, there were days when I just couldn't teach when she was in the classroom. And, now, apparently ALL her problems are my fault. I went on a LONG walk yesterday afternoon, thinking that would clear my mind, but today by noon, I had an exploding headache, tingling in my arms, constriction in my chest, and my heart was pounding. I knew my blood pressure was through the roof (even despite my taking medication to control it). I also knew that I could NOT teach my class this afternoon. So, I alerted the office that I was leaving. I came home and fell asleep for two hours!!! I went outside to pull weeds and am starting to feel better, but no decision has been made as to what to do with this child. I'm 99% certain she will NOT be returned to my class, since I now have a "hostile parent" on my hands and administrators don't like to keep students with a teacher under those circumstances. She's been suspended for 5 days because she made a "terrorist threat" against another student (also in my class) and that has been extended for another 2 days, but Monday morning is going to come and she will be back at school. And people wonder why teachers get burned out?

Time Change and new opportunities for walking

2010-03-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

The time change this weekend has really messed up my walking schedule. I noticed yesterday that it is now just barely getting light at 7:00 a.m. (old time...6:00 a.m.). Thus, I won't be able to walk in the mornings until summer vacation. I have to leave and get on the freeway by 7:00 a.m. Ugh. So, I thought about my options. Yes, I could walk the same trails, but then I remembered I needed to renew my membership at the Living Desert Reserve, so I headed over there yesterday morning. I used to walk their inner trail (about a 45 minute walk) in the afternoons at school, so I may start doing that. I'll have to take sunscreen and a hat, along with my camera, but that's okay. Their trails are well marked. I didn't even drive up to the horse ranch yesterday as the winds were blowing. Instead, I walked for about two hours yesterday. it was good to return to the Living Desert and see all their new things! And, with temperatures in the low 80's this week, the weather will be perfect for an afternoon walk!

New trails

2010-03-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

A fellow hiker pointed out a couple of new trails for me to explore. One is on the same side of the highway as the visitor center. The other trail is along the water district retaining wall and has a nice, steep slope upon entering and exiting it. I will get a workout with that one! The other trail meanders up through the foothills. I'd really like to find a walking partner as I'm not sure how safe these foothills are for lone hikers. But, with scenery like this, who can resist? It is windy here already this morning, so I'm not even going to bother going up to the horses. After yesterday's windy day, I'll wait until mid-week to return to them.

Saturday morning walk

2010-03-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhh....the weekend is here! And, I actually had TIME this morning to go for a 45 minute walk! I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and was OUT of the front door by 6:00 a.m. Back to my favorite walking area I went, only to run into...ANOTHER HUMAN BEING! ACK! Who wants that? I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye down by the parking lot and stopped in my tracks. Yes, I saw a hat. It was a man. A MAN on my territory! Huummpppffffhhhhh!!! So, I went the back way, around the trail behind the visitor's center and by the time I was done, he was gone. Apparently he was out either birdwatching or counting quail because he had a pair of binoculars. So, I hiked across the highway to another popular hiking area. A couple of mornings I've met up with a lady hiker, Laura, and this morning we formally introduced ourselves. She told me of about 3 other areas to hike and now I have some new options! I hiked down the water district property, which IS open to the public, but, at 7:00 a.m., it was completely deserted and I didn't wish to walk too far into the desert by myself. There ARE mountain lions in those hills and I decided to NOT be a meal for one this morning!!! II decided to hike around the perimeter of the parking lot across the street from the visitor center and got some good pics of the desert around there, but I didn't go out on the trail. It was so good to get out and smell the scents of the desert, hear the quail, and feel the fresh air! I look forward to tomorrow's walk!

Morning walks

2010-03-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

Finally, this week, I have started up my morning walks again. I didn't go out walking for ... gosh, I don't even remember how long! I decided to NOT walk around my neighborhood. It's flat and surrounded by some commercial areas on one side and frankly, it is pretty BORING! I mean, how many times can you walk around 3 blocks? So, every morning now I drive up to the base of our local mountains, park my car, and hike the trails near our local mountain visitor center. They have well marked trails. I get to listen to the call of the quail and I see rabbits and quail and other birds every morning. I get 30 minutes before I have to leave for school. "MY TIME". Now, I'm trying to figure out ways to work up to 45 minutes, including taking a shower the night before and washing my hair at that time, instead of doing it in the morning! Here are some pics from one of my morning walks. I mean, isn't it WORTH IT? I believe it is!

A year and a half...

2010-03-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

The spring before our son left for college, I joined him while he went out jogging around our neighborhood (back in the DAY!). He and I enjoyed our nightly runs. Unfortunately, at this time, I also pulled my Achille's tendon. Now, if you have never done this, DON'T! It is extremely painful. And, it takes FOREVER to heal! I remember it feeling like a red-hot poker was thrust onto my foot! It stung and HURT! And, there was NOTHING my doctor could do! It just had to heal on its own. So, a year and a half later, I was pretty much back to normal. And, recently, in August of 2008, I slipped off a friend's horse (she hadn't tightened the saddle properly), did a rather UNgraceful dismount, and tweeked my back. Actually, I slipped two discs and ended up with permanent nerve damage. I had two cortisone shots in my back, between L4 and L5. My back specialist told me I'd never ride a horse again. "Pffffffffttttttt" was my response. But, until now, a year and a half later, I still haven't been back on a horse. But, you know, I am now ready to try to get back on. I feel pretty good. I do have, like I said, permanent nerve damage and my feet aren't quite back to normal. My left foot has permanent tingling and numbness, as does my right, but not to the same extent as the left one. And, I notice my balance is always a little bit off (as a former figure skater, that DOES trouble me!) What's really strange is that I never had back pain. It was always my thigh that caused me the most pain. So, it seems my body takes about a year and a half to recover from major trauma. I'm 58 years old now, and I don't have too many ...er..."opportunities" for injury, I hope! I need to get back on a horse, hopefully Quad, and get back into my riding routine. Hopefully, that will happen soon, as soon as the rain stops and the ground starts to dry out!

Coffee and coffee grinders

2010-02-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I LOVE coffee. However, I only drink one cup in the morning. HE drinks countless cups in the morning and all day. But, when we do drink our coffee, we like a good one. Not some generic stuff, nope, nope,. nope! We go for the good stuff. And, for us, that isn't STARBUCKS (that's not what we call it!). We enjoy Coffee Bean coffee. Hubby has come home with all sorts of exotic blends...Guatamalan, Kenyan, Ethopian, and now Ugandan coffee! For us, it's a choice. We can splurge on our coffee choice and cut back on something else. But, never on coffee! Oh, and I like to grind it myself. So, this morning, when I heard "pffftttt, pfffttttt" as I tried to grind the coffee, my heart sank. Fortunately, hubby bought a bag of ground Ugandan coffee to take to our daughter's house tomorrow morning for a family breakfast and I had to open it and dig in!

How would you like to have a hair day like this?

2010-02-12T04:50:00.001-08:00

Have you ever had a hair day like this? HA! I have! That's me at the end of MOST of my days at school this year, with this class! I have one student who thinks it is funny to fall out of her chair and roll all over the floor. I have another one who CANNOT sit down, even for 5 minutes! Of course, she can't focus or pay attention and she has yet to pass a test this year! I have a boy who wanders all over the classroom and talks to other students and who CANNOT sit down! I have another boy who thinks he is an airplane and makes airplane noises during lessons. No wonder my hair looks like this at the end of the day! Photos taken at Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest, CA

Cholula Hot Sauce~Sunday Stills Challenge 020710

2010-02-07T04:48:00.000-08:00

My husband uses Cholula hot sauce on EVERYTHING!! We usually have a huge bottle of it on our kitchen counter, but he took it over to our son's house while cooking dinner a while ago and we haven't got it back since then! Then, one day he discovered two other kinds (see pic). He puts it on his eggs. He fries chicken and puts it on the chicken. It goes into his pasta sauce. Like I said, he uses it for everything! Sometimes we put it on our roasted vegetables. We just like hot sauce! Sunday Stills Challenge for February 7, 2010.

FED UP with CITIBANK and I'm leaving them!

2010-01-30T08:13:00.001-08:00

I'm totally FED UP with CITIBANK and I'm firing THEM! I'm moving my account somewhere else. This is after they raised my interest rate to 29.99%. I got the infamous letter stating that they were going to charge me 29.99% interest or I could opt out and continue to use my card at my previous rate until February, 2011. I opted out to continue to use my card with the previous rate, and THEY CLOSED MY ACCOUNT! And, now my "monthly payments" are triple what they were! (shaking head...) And, this is AFTER my card was compromised (someone got hold of my account number and pin) and charged over $200 worth of gasoline in FLORIDA (I live in California) twice and then it was compromised AGAIN! WHAT IS WRONG WITH CITIBANK? Anyway, I'm boycotting them and closing that account. I'm sick and tired of Citibank's strong-arm tactics! Anybody else HATE Citibank?

Favorite winter meal

2010-01-29T05:17:00.000-08:00

This is our favorite winter side dish...roasted veggies! All are organic, except the onions, which are the sweet Peruvian ones from COSTCO. I bought organic vine-ripened tomatoes from my local health food store, along with yellow squash and zucchini. Drizzle all with Spanish olive oil and seasoning and VIOLA! A healthy, colorful side dish. Sometimes I add organic red potatoes, also from my health food store and drizzle them with olive oil and seasoning, too! YUM, YUM!

What we're cutting back on...saving money

2010-01-23T07:24:00.001-08:00

We're "downsizing" and cutting back on a lot of expenses. I don't go out for lunch at school any longer. I used to spend $5 a DAY for lunch. A bunch of us would go out together. Nowadays, I bring a sandwich or leftovers. Hubby doesn't take non-digital photos! THANK GOODNESS! When we went to the Sierras and he had his film developed, it was over $100~~~OUCH! We don't eat out very often. Unless I meet a friend for lunch at Native Foods, we haven't been to a restaurant for MONTHS! I can't even remember the last time hubby and I went out to dinner. Heck, we're both good cooks...WHY should we eat somewhere else? We've changed our shopping habits. NO MORE Vons or Albertsons. We NEVER shopped at Ralphs (too$$$). Now, we shop at COSTCO, Fresh & Easy or Trader Joe's. Occasionally I stop at my health food store to buy fresh veggies, but, with a farmer's market 2 blocks away on the weekends, I think I'll just walk down there this morning! Clothes? Forget it. I haven't bought anything new for over a year. It it isn't in my closet, I don't worry anymore. Oh, and I frequent thrift shops. Why pay $60 for a jacket when I can pick one up for $3.00??? I DID find a nice black jacket at Goodwill for $35.00, which I'm sure was about half its original cost. I DO buy t-shirts when they are on sale at Old Navy because I LOVE their "perfect fit" tees. $5 each on sale. Dog food...I no longer buy the $24.00/20 pound bags of dog food. They get a 40 pound bag for $20.00. PERIOD. I tried feeding the STUPID CATS generic cat food and they ALL turned their noses up at it and REFUSED to eat it! So, they still get Purina Cat Chow (spoiled cats!) Lights? I'm a light watcher and I'm constantly turning off the lights that hubby leaves on! Water? No automatic sprinklers for us. I water by hand, when it is needed. I was shocked to see sprinklers on during our 6 days of rain recently! I mean, can you spell W-A-S-T-E-F-U-L? When our automatic sprinkers USED to work, I would go out and turn them OFF by hand! DUH! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out! CARS? I have a Honda CRV that gets, on the average, 27 mpg. Hubby has our son's old Toyota RAV 4-wheel drive, which gets terrible mileage, but he only drives 6 miles to work. And, the 4-wheel drive does come in handy up in the mountains. And, the insurance on it is practically nothing!

So, what do you all do to save money???

Time to move??? A question for us

2010-01-18T10:05:00.001-08:00

Hubby and I have casually been looking at ranches up in our local mountains for a little over a year now. While we board our horses at a wonderful, wonderful place, we would like to be able to see them more often than just weekends. We've owned our home in the desert for 35 years this summer. We raised our children here. We've added a front porch, side patios, but as we get older, we find that we can withstand the brutal summer heat less and less. And, during the summer, when I'm off from school, I drive up to the horses almost daily, a 70 mile round trip! Let's just say that our house no longer meets our needs. While it is convenient for work for both of us, I would have an hour's drive to work if we moved. That is indeed something to think about. We seem to be spending a lot of time, also, with our children, now that they each have their own homes. And, we are only 15 minutes away from them. If we moved up to the mountains, we would be over an hour away AND we would have to travel one of the worst mountain roads in California, something that I would NOT look forward to! So, we are taking our time. I need to repaint the bedroom which will soon be my office and the living room, our bedroom, and kitchen could also use a coat of paint. We need a new toilet installed and we need to redo one bathroom. Trees need to be trimmed...there is quite a list of things to do! So, we continue to look and talk. While we would like to have our horses close to us, we need to consider the results of a mountain move..the long drive, the twisty and turny road, our age...at our ages, are we in good physical shape to drive that road day after day? Hubby would need to get a newer car. My car, which I got in March of 2008, already has 52,000 miles on it! (My Honda CRV). So, we look and ponder. The bottom photo is an 18-acre ranch with 2 houses on it and a barn that has also been converted for living. LOTS of room for horses! BUT...it is on a nasty dirt road and we would need a 4-wheel drive to get in and out of the valley. It's about 10 minutes outside of town. The top one has no garage, no horse corrals, and no tack room or barn, and is 2 1/2 acres. It is only 3 minutes from town, but town is a very small, rural town with NO hospital, a HORRIBLE grocery store with awful produce and prices. Something to consider...Personally, I'm content to drive up and see the horses whenever I can and come home to a house which is centrally located to hospitals, doctors, grocery stores, and our children.

Sunday Stills Challenge~Jan 17, 2010

2010-01-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

What emotions do you feel for these pics?

Tight jeans and healthy eating

2010-01-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

My jeans are so tight I've actually split one pair! YIKES! Time to get out and walk! (***not my pic***)Unfortunately, in the mornings it's just too dark and too cold! And, by afternoons, I'm too exhausted! So, I've been doing some light yoga while at home in the mornings, before leaving for school, but I'm so fed up with myself I could scream!!!Part of the problem is my back and legs. While my back doesn't hurt, both legs do and my balance is wobbly. (This is due to my back injury in August of 2008). Before my fall, I was walking at lunch with a coworker for 30 minutes. I think I'll ask her if she wants to start again, even though our lunch hours are slightly different. I've cut back on my carbs, but hubby always wants to drink wine at night and wine is LOADED with calories! ACK! His feelings get hurt if I don't join him with a glass of wine! I'm NOT buying new jeans, so I'll have to lose about 10 pounds ASAP! Back to eating salads without little or no dressing!

"Z" is for zinfandel~~ABC Wednesday 011310

2010-01-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

And, of course, we LOVE zinfandel wine! These pics were taken at the Norman Winery, which is in Paso Robles, CA. We love their wines and always stop there when we are in town! Norman Winery is a great place to stop, talk, and relax, and of course, we always leave with a few of their wines! "Z" is for zinfandel...ABC Wednesday for January 13, 2010.

Weekends and Weekdays

2010-01-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

This was a LONG week, even though it was just 5 days of school this week. But, after being off work for two weeks, it was hard for all of us to come back to work! AND, the week seemed to last forever! That got me thinking....(I know...it was HARD!)...what DO people do on their weekends? My husband is working today and tomorrow. Our daughter & fiance are having their housewarming party this afternoon. Our son got the day off (he usually works on the weekend) and is taking his girlfriend and their baby up to our local mountains and spending a night at a friend's cabin. I'm spending quality time with my horses.

What are 'ya all doing?

Healthy food and yoga

2010-01-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm back eating healthy food. I even had a smoothie for lunch on Tuesday (we had NO leftovers, so I had NOTHING to take to school to eat for lunch!). Lots of veggies and lean chicken for lunch today. I also did 20 minutes of a yoga show this morning (just got too sore to do all 30 minutes), but at least I'm stretching and breathing! I always feel so energized after doing the yoga. I'm taping a couple of shows on TV...a yoga one and another getting fit one (Gilad). He isn't too difficult for someone like me, with back problems and I can at least sorta keep up! AND...GOOD NEWS...I got my desktop back. UNfortunately, hubby ate some questionable food at the hotel yesterday and was sick when I got home, so he hasn't re-connected it yet, but I should be up and running by the weekend! I have a late meeting tonight until 5:30 and I'm sure he'll be tired, so I won't bug him about it. Our daughter and fiance are having their housewarming Saturday afternoon and we'll be going to that, so I'll have to see the horses early Saturday morning. Ahhhh...the weekend!!!

Healthy Food~Sunday Stills Challenge 010310

2010-01-03T06:16:00.001-08:00

I've been talking about Native Foods, a vegan restaurant here in Palm Desert and I remembered that I'd taken a couple of pics with my little Nikon when my friend Molly and I ate lunch there one day this week! Doesn't the food look healthy? That's soy on the veggie plate and my "mock" burger. The soy was hot and so was the bun. It was DELICIOUS! I'm going to make it a point to take healthy salads to lunch this coming week. Oh, and what lunch between friends could be complete without dessert? That's their carrot cake drizzled with...I don't know! Who cares? It was yummy! Here's a link to their website: http://www.nativefoods.com/ Sunday Stills Challenge for January 3, 2010.

2010 ~~ A New Year and a new beginning

2010-01-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to get back on my healthy food diet now. That means LESS alcohol and less red meat. Yes, I'm back eating red meat. Without my husband's support of my diet goals, it just didn't happen. He loves red meat (his stepdad was a butcher, after all!) BUT, I did eat out twice over vacation at Native Foods, a vegan restaurant in my town, and I bought a copy of their cookbook. Here's the link to Native Foods: http://www.nativefoods.com/ and I went out and bought some interesting new dressings for my salads to take to school with me starting Monday (UGH...I don't EVEN want to think about school!) I have been getting out and walking and working with the horses, so that's good! This morning I went out and spent about an hour photographing the sunrise and hiking up through a nearby visitor center, which was closed. It was nice and peaceful. I'd like to do that more mornings, but, during the school year, that's pretty hard except on weekends. I'll have to figure out how to work that into my schedule. Here are some pics of my early morning excursion!

Diet and Exercise Day 2

2009-12-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

My 2010 diet and exercise program officially started yesterday. I spent the afternoon out walking with my friend Molly, over at her boarding facility nearby. It actually felt GOOD to get outdoors! Our weather has been wonderful and it is expected to be clear through the weekend. For dinner we all ate BBQ chicken and had a green salad with light dressing. It was good! And, I ate NO BREAD and certainly NO BREAD WITH BUTTER! Ugh! The day before, I met my cousin Valerie and our son Hal and his son Ben came by for lunch at Native Foods, a vegan restaurant here in Palm Desert. Here's the link to their website: http://www.nativefoods.com/ I had the "Save the Chicken Salad" with jasmine rice, corn, cabbage, cilantro, and a light sesame dressing. Yum, yum! And, healthy, too! I'm going out to day to my favorite health food store and stock up on some items like my low-glycemic cereal, my favorite yogurt, and some sesame oil dressing. Oh, and pysllium for the horses! This morning I watched and TRIED to do a 30 minute yoga program. Breath deeply in and out...raise arms. I had trouble with the leg poses, mostly because of my back, but I'll try it again in the morning. I also set up the DVR to record some yoga and light exercise programs from now on. After all that stretching and breathing, I feel really good this morning! Enjoy your day. Photo of me, my cousin Valerie, and my grandson, Ben, at Native Foods.

NO Christmas credit card bills!!!

2009-12-29T09:46:00.000-08:00

In an effort to pay down my credit cards, the family agreed only to buy presents for baby Ben and not for each other. Phew! What a relief! I bought all his presents with the cash I had on hand and didn't use one credit card!!! So, instead of my yearly January/February credit card bill SHOCK, I'm making more than the minimum payments on them! YEAH! I should have them paid off in about another 30 years! (just kidding!) But, realistically, I will have to work as long as I can to get them AND my parent loans paid off. Sad, eh? But, that's reality. The good thing is that I won't have any Christmas bills to pay off on my credit cards. The bad news is that my car will need new brakes this spring, we're crossing our fingers that our central air conditioner will make it through another summer, and we need to replace 3 windows and 2 sliding glass doors in our house...sigh...

Monument Valley~Odds & Ends~Sunday Stills Challenge 122709

2009-12-27T06:09:00.000-08:00

This post is for hubby, who is a fan of both John Wayne AND Monument Valley! The wagon and John Wayne painting are at Goulding's Lodge, which is right outside the entrance to Monument Valley. They have lots of western items there AND a John Wayne and western museum. We like to stop there for breakfast and then take our car through MV. We've taken two different cars of ours through the bumpy roads: my 1999 Honda Acccord, which did just fine, thank you! And, our 2008 Honda CRV, which, with a higher wheel base, had no problems at all! Passenger cars frequently drive the rocky, bumpy roads, but I wouldn't advise taking a low-riding car! Something with a higher wheelbase does much better. And, you can always take the Jeep tours through the valley. Since we've covered the outer areas, we might do that someday! The Navajo jeep tours go much deeper into the valley. Sunday Stills Challenge for December 27, 2009. Here's a link to Gouldings: http://www.gouldings.com/english/lodge.htm

Christmas breakfast and dinner

2009-12-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas breakfast was at our son's house. Eggs benedict, Canadian bacon, sauce, English muffins, and family! Dinner? Both a small turkey and a large prime rib roast with mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, and stuffing. Okay. THE DIET STARTS TODAY!!!

Kids' tree~Sunday Stills Challenge

2009-12-20T04:01:00.001-08:00

Hubby and I drove to Idyllwild for lunch yesterday and upstairs, in the waiting room for the restroom, was this little children's tree next to this picture. Of course, I couldn't resisit getting a couple of photos of it! (You can't take me ANYWHERE!) We had a delightful light lunch and drove down the mountain the Beaumont/Banning side. Neither one of us could remember the last time we had driven down that road! Sunday Stills Challenge for December 20, 2009.

Christmas shopping and vacation

2009-12-18T05:56:00.000-08:00

Our family isn't buying gifts for each other, except for Baby Ben, this year, who will be 10 months old December 26th. Honestly, we just can't afford it. Each of our grown kids just bought a house and they now have a house payment. Our daughter also just hired a gardener and will be planning her landscaping soon. We would like to buy her a tree for her back yard, maybe after the new year. Our son, in addition to his house, just bought a brand new Toyota RAV. He has my old Honda Accord (1999 model), which is a manual transmission, and his fiance can't drive it. She's been using a loaner car from her sister, an OLD, OLD, OLD Ford Explorer, which, as we all know, isn't the safest car to be driving with a baby in the back. So, the new RAV is a wonderful addition for their family. We helped both kids out the best we could when they were buying their houses and we have been feeding them bi-weekly ever since! That's no easy feat! Hubby always cooks enough for one meal PLUS plenty of leftovers. We are all staying home during Christmas vacation, which for 3 of us, starts tomorrow. Only 1 more day of school (THANK GOODNESS!) and the kidlets are all wound up! Apparently they got the memo that Christmas vacation starts tomorrow. Today will be a "free" day at school as none of us will accomplish much!

Here's hoping that you and your family have a Merry Christmas! From the desert to the mountains, enjoy your time with your family! Some pics from our vacation to Napa and Sonoma last Christmas.

"V" is for...ABC Wednesday, December 16, 2009

2009-12-16T04:39:00.000-08:00

"vineyard". This shows a vineyard in December. You can see how the vines haven't been trimmed yet and there are still some leaves on them. ABC Wednesday for December 16, 2009.

Movies with a Musical Theme

2009-12-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

I'm SOOOooooo excited to find a weekly meme about movies and soundtracks! I LOVE movie soundtracks and constantly search for my favorite composers: Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Rachel Portman, Christopher Young, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith (RIP)...and so many others! But this week's meme is about movies with a musical theme...Let's see...The Red Violin, Amadeus, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, De Lovely, The Glen Miller Story, That's Entertainment, All That Jazz, De Lovely, A Chorus Line, A Star is Born, Moulin Rouge...oh, gosh...I'm blanking out. I may have to come back to this. HOW could I forget "The Commitments"? OHMYGOSH! That's ONE of my all-time favorite movies! I LOVE writing and listening to music. That's why ALL my blogs have music! And, they have movie soundtracks, all except 1, which has Native flute music ... Anyway, here's the link to the blog:
http://thebumblesblog.blogspot.com/

Toenail fungus 120909

2009-12-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have a toenail fungus. I've had it now for...(thinking)...3 or 4 years. I've had it ever since the LAST time I went to a nail salon and they clipped and painted my toenails. My doctor said the medicine to cure it damages one's liver and I should just "forgetaboutit". Well, now I can hardly walk. I think it's because I dropped something on it about a week ago and further damaged it. Sorry, no pics! It's just too disgusting. So, now I really hobble around!!! I'm probably going to have to go into my doctor and have her take another look at it. My uncle had an infected thumb nail and they PULLED his nail (he was sedated). I think I'm at that point with my big toe! For now, I'm going to go soak it in apple cider vinegar. Have a pleasant evening!

Gigondas and Beauty and Quad~Sunday Stills Challenge 120609

2009-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

That's hubby with his favorite horse, Gigondas. Gigondas is the big, red thoroughbred mare that I rescued from a feedlot in WA state. She immediately bonded and fell in love with my husband. At the same time I rescued Gigondas, I also rescued an appendix TB mare named Beauty. Beauty was my first Internet rescued horse. One look at her, and I was in love! She was an untrained two year old also on a slaughter-bound feedlot in WA state. I had enough money saved up from my betting year at Santa Anita and the Breeder's Cup to pay for their bail, quarantine, and transport to California. Beauty immediately picked me as her human and we bonded over the next two years. Unfortunately, in June of this year, Beauty died in a freak accident in her corral. She rolled and got her legs stuck in the fence, hit her head, and instantly died trying to get up. It happened during one night and when I drove up to the ranch where I board them, I found her dead the next morning. Her loss was devastating to me. I felt so awful. I miss her every day...her friendly nicker, her calm demeanor, her soft breath. We often don't know why these horrible things happen in our life journey. I've given up trying to figure it out. In the meantime, I took in another rescued horse, a thoroughbred named Quad. Quad needed a home and a family to love him. He has helped fill the void of Beauty's death. He is quite a character. That's a photo of me and Quad at TB Friends, a horse rescue near Sacramento, CA. Sometimes I wonder if Beauty didn't "move on" in order for us to get Quad? I often see a running horse in the clouds and I do believe it is Beauty letting me know she is now in a good place. But...I still miss her deeply. Indeed, she was a beauty. Sunday Stills Challenge for December 6, 2009.

Pink clouds~SkyWatch Friday 120409

2009-12-04T05:30:00.001-08:00

Waking up early every morning sometimes has its advantages, right? Otherwise I would have missed this massive swirling of clouds and the sunrise's pink clouds. SkyWatch Friday for December 4, 2009.

You know, they aren't so bad after all!!!

2009-12-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

I just let it all down today at school. What I mean is that, for the FIRST DAY since the beginning of school, I ignored the reading pacing schedule and our district math pacing schedule and just TAUGHT my kids. I read them a read aloud, "Two Bad Ants" by Chris Van Allsburg, since we are beginning our unit on fantasy. We discussed the pictures. I stopped and explained various words in the book. We looked at the illustrations. I felt like a REAL TEACHER, not some autopilot, mechanical ROBOT in the classroom! And, instead of doing reading at reading time, I spent 45 PRECIOUS minutes discussing the importance of learning the times tables! I gave them examples from my life. I talked about how they won't be able to do division until they learn their times tables! (We had just taken a 100 problem test the prior day and only 11/20 passed!!!) So, today, during math, I put away my teachers' guide and let them practice the test again. Yesterday it took them 80 minutes to do the 100 problems. Today, I gave them only 30 minutes and I cut off the time. Guess what? Yesterday only 11/20 passed. Today, with less than half the time, ALL but 3 passed! High expectations? You betcha! Will they get another test tomorrow? You betcha! Will I have high expectations? You betch! These kids CAN do it! I heard one little boy say, "My teacher told us last year, 'I have confidence in you.' " That hit home. I hadn't had confidence in them. I didn't expect them to do well...well, today, I had CONFIDENCE in them. I KNEW they could do it, and they did. I'm actually proud of this little group. Now, if I could just get them to read...(sigh)...

"S" is for...ABC Wednesday 112509

2009-11-25T07:04:00.001-08:00

SATISFACTION! Ahhhh....that first sip of coffee in the morning! Enough said!

ABC Wednesday for November 25, 2009

Rancho Mirage art fair~That's My World 111709

2009-11-17T05:21:00.001-08:00

A neighboring city had a two day art fair this weekend and my cousin, Valerie, displayed some of her paintings. Unfortunately I was so busy talking to her that I didn't get any pics of her booth! But, I did get some other interesting ones! I took all of these with my little Nikon Coolpix. Unfortunately, that evening, when I got out of my car, it flew out of my purse, landed on the driveway, and is now KAPUT! The lens won't stay open and it says, "LENS ERROR"!!! ACK! What am I going to do without my little camera? It was so tiny I could stick it in my purse and take it with me everywhere. I'm very saddened by its untimely demise. That's My World for Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

Flu? Swine flu? Cold?

2009-11-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I had SOMETHING last weekend. Saturday I was fine. Sunday I felt like crap...headache, body ache, dizziness, fatigue. I didn't go see my horses. I stayed home on the couch and vegged out in front of the TV. I was too sick/dizzy/fatigued to go to school the next two days. I went in on Weenesday and, honestly, I don't remember a THING about that day. I straggled through Thursday and Friday. That weekend I got bronchitis. IT moved down into my bronchial tubes. But...Monday morning, I felt fine. I've been fine all this week. I had it exactly 8 days. I didn't take anything for it except NyQuil to knock me out and hot tea and my Manuka honey. As a public school teacher, of course I'm concerned about the flu and swine flu. I noticed that the teacher across the quad from me was washing down her students' desks with Clorox wipes and spraying the room at lunch time with Lysol. She's going strong. Hm....something to think about. I went out and bought Clorox wipes today and I have a can of Lysol already at school and believe me, from now until Christmas vacation, I'm going to use them both!

Why I HATE my I-Phone

2009-11-06T05:07:00.001-08:00

I HATE my I-Phone. Why? Let me list the reasons! #1. Phone calls are constantly dropped. I'll be in the middle of a phone call with somebody and the damn thing just quits. I'm left dangling or hanging or just wondering "WHAT HAPPENED?" ... sigh... #2 It's BIG and BULKY. Frankly, it's TOO BIG. I have to keep it in my little Nikon camera bag. #3 It's awkward and difficult to answer. When a call comes in, I have to dig through my purse to find the Nikon camera bag (heaven forbid I should just drop it in my purse!), dig it out of the camera bag, and...OF COURSE...I can't just flip the lid to answer it. NOOoooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I have to take my finger (NOT the fingernail, mind you) and CAREFULLY touch the slide button (and if I don't do it just right, it doesn't work) and answer the call. Half of the time, the person calling has by now given up! Talk about F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N!!!!! #4. Texting. Forget it. Don't even bother! It does have a feature where it TRIES to figure out the word you are typing, but the keyboard is so awkward I'm constantly hitting incorrect letters!!! #5. Have you EVER had a phone that you had to recharge every OTHER DAY? ... sigh... My conclusion? FORGET BUYING AN I-PHONE! When this one dies, I'm getting a different phone.

Home schooling moms

2009-11-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, I admit it. I have, until now, been against home schooling. As you know, I am a public school teacher. But, watching what's happening in education today, I think home schooling moms...ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING! And, I want to salute and congratulate you! You have my full support. Public education right now, at least in my school district, SUCKS. We are on two pacing schedules~one for reading and one for math. That means we read a story a week and do ALL the spelling, grammar, and writing activities for each story in one week. PHEW! What a whirlwind. And, except for the books that the kids check out of the library, THAT is their exposure to literature. And our writing program? Programmed prompts for the kidlets. NO free writing. NO creativity. I noticed a BIG difference when I "allowed" my students to write Halloween stories. Instead of the usual moans and groans during assigned, writing prompt time, there were whispers and giggles and the sound of pencils scribbling on paper. They wrote a whole page, instead of the meager two paragraphs required in assigned writing! I was amazed! Their stories were wonderful! They did beautiful illustrations! It's NOT that the kids don't know HOW to write...it's that they don't like the assigned topics! Well, DUH! How would YOU feel if you had to write on schlock that was assigned to you every week? You probably wouldn't like it. I wouldn't like it. NOBODY likes it! I call it "canned writing". And, our math program? A lesson a day. Never mind if the kidlets don't get it...time to move on! Oh, that's right! We are just "exposing" them to the math. So, my question is...WHEN do they finally get it? In high school? College? Independent study? I had to do an entire math lesson with 13 vocabulary words on lines, line segments, angles, rays, faces, edges, vertices in one lesson! 13 new concepts in 1 afternoon! SAY WHAT? Yup. And, then move on to the next lesson on angles, with 7 new vocabulary words the next day! So, WHEN do the kids master these concepts? Not in third grade, that's for sure. Any comments? I'd love to hear from the stay home moms! By the way, if I could, and my kids were younger, I'd REALLY think long and hard about sending them to public school. That's a whole new mindset for me. The only advantage was the music program which began in fifth grade. Heck, I took my kids to museums, missions, and interesting places. We attended musical concerts on Sunday afternoons. We visited San Diego, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and learned about their history and culture. They picked up starfish in Monterey. A neighbor explained how she photographed comet Hale-Bopp to them. Their dad instructed them in geography. They were well-rounded kids and are now grown up. Our son has a child of his own and I'm sure (hehehehe....) that I'll get to take him places and show him things that aren't in books. And, who needs books these days? Heck, my district COLLECTED ALL our social studies and science books. We aren't allowed to use them. Science and social studies are "embedded" in the stories that the students read for reading. REALLY? That's news to me! We simply don't have TIME for science or social studies any longer. We're too busy drilling, drilling, drilling, and drilling students on state standards to bother with real-world things like science and social studies! No wonder kids don't know where Ghana is! Or Cuba! Or Ohio! What a crime. What a SHAME. Parents, GO FOR IT! SAVE YOUR CHILDREN!

"C" ~ cloudburst~Sunday Stills 101809

2009-10-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

While driving through town one morning after Beauty died, I saw this CLOUDBURST. Sunday Stills Challenge for 101809

"L" is for logging and legging~ABC Wednesday 100709

2009-10-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

We LOVE to stop at the McClintocks in Paso Robles. I LOVE to read their walls. They are covered with brands, barbed wire, and LOGGING stuff and LEGGINGS! Aren't they interesting? ABC Wednesday for October 7, 2009.

Doctors and STUBBORN husbands!

2009-10-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

My husband is 59. He'll be the big 6-0 in February. Now, I've been on blood pressure meds for over 6 years. He REFUSES to go to the doctor, but all of us FINALLY talked him into it and he goes tomorrow. This is after he got dizzy, fell in the shower, and cut his head a couple of weeks ago. I don't think he has really had a physical for over 5 years. He's NEVER had a colonoscopy. He REFUSES to take any kind of meds. Frankly, I think he needs to look at the consequences. He is overweight. He has high blood pressure...a recipe for disaster. We aren't eating raw any longer as he REFUSES to take part. He LOVES his steaks and lamb shanks. Not exactly the healthiest foods to eat. I shouldn't talk. I got hooked on Ben & Jerry ice cream...thank goodness I have finished all of those cartons I bought and I'm NOT buying any more (rolling eyes). We both need to eat more salads and vegetables and cut out the red meat. I'm out walking most mornings and he gets exercise when walking at work, but then he comes home, plops down on the couch, and cruises the Internet for HOURS! We both need to shape up!

Teaching today's children (LONG VENT)

2009-10-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is the WORST class I've had in 23 years of teaching. I'm NOT kidding you! They can't sit still. They won't LISTEN! (pulling out hair!) They are apathetic and want to be entertained all day! Right now I am struggling to maintain control of my class (something that rarely happens to me), but with THIS group, it is a daily battle. They are apathetic and act bored most of the time. Threats don't work. Peer pressure doesn't work...they just laugh and continue to talk to their peers. Is this what teaching is about these days? They are rude, they sneer at me, they don't like me...the list is endless. And, they are 8 YEARS OLD! I can't even IMAGINE what they will be like in high school. And, from what I hear, the next 3 classes coming up are just as bad.

So, is this an indication of the teaching world? We have a fairly new math program that involves a short video to introduce the concept. One day, they made farting noises during the movie and laughed at it. HUH? EXCUSE ME? If I had acted up in school, I would have got my TUSH warmed by my parents and I would have been sent to my room! And, all privileges would have been taken away for TWO WEEKS! Nowadays, some parents don't care. I talked to a father this afternoon. His daughter runs around the room, grabbed her backpack today, and was heading OUT the door 30 minutes before the end of school! EXCUSE ME? He said, "Oh, well, I'll let her mom handle her." WHAT? WHO is the parent here? Does MOM wear the pants in that family? Jeez. I guess so. I just don't get it. Parents DO NOT parent, so their kids CANNOT sit still in class and CANNOT pay attention. Another girl can't focus long enough to figure out what we are doing in class. After I've explained things for the THIRD TIME, she looks up and says, "HUH?" HUH? EXCUSE ME? If I had treated my teachers the way these kids treat me and my colleagues, my fanny would have been warmed by my mother's hand! OR my dad's!!! Probably by BOTH of them! Maybe I'm getting burned out...do 'ya think? ALL my colleagues are worn out by this group of kids, so it isn't just me.

"Signs of fall"...SAY WHAT???

2009-09-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

This week's Sunday Stills Challenge was "Signs of fall". HUH? Here in the desert, we're in the middle of a heat wave, for crying out loud! It was 109 degrees yesterday. It was 109 degrees today. FALL? You've GOT to be kidding! This isn't New England, buddy! This is the southern desert of Southern California. I live only two hours from the Mexican border. Fall? Not likely. By the middle of this next week, our days should be in the double digits again and our nights down into the 60's. Hardly typical "fall" weather. But, the days are getting shorter and the nights longer and the apples hang on the apple trees (up in the mountains, that is), so I guess those are signs of "fall"....(shaking head)...And, by the way, that's 109 IN THE SHADE!

Farmers' Market~Think Green Thursday 092409

2009-09-24T05:18:00.001-07:00

All of these delicious items were at the recent farmers' market this weekend. Strawberries! Yum, yum~ and apples! Oh, how I love autumn! Think Green Thursday for September 24, 2009.

The Myth or Fact of the "Superwoman"

2009-09-21T05:47:00.001-07:00

Another blogger commented today about how we women are supposed to juggle jobs, chores at home, children, spouses, pets, and anything else our families or careers throw at us. She is right. I agree with her...I can no longer DO IT ALL. Yes, when I was younger, I successfully juggled home/career/husband/family/yardwork, but now, at age 57, I have found that my body just won't do it. I cannot juggle house work/career/husband/family/yardwork all at the same time. And my health, too? No way. Something has to give and so today I'm taking a sick day. I've been dizzy/achy all weekend...probably a touch of the flu that seems to be going around. I only have 10 sick days every year and I use them ALL (having had pneumonia twice during one school year wiped out my sick leave bank and I've never been able to roll over a day since then). I constantly have colds, which turn into bronchitis, which for me can turn into pneumonia (again). So, I have to be careful. And, now, with the swine flu scare, I'm twice as careful. I have bottles of hand sanitizer all over my class room and the kidlets wash their hands constantly. But, they still cough in my face WITHOUT covering their mouths! (shaking head)

But, back to my main point...Are we, as women, expected to do EVERYTHING? I mean, I love my husband, but he does his job and comes home and sits on the couch and watches TV from the minute he gets home until he goes to bed. I do the dishes. I do the laundry. I mow the lawn. I trim the trees as best I can. I feed the dogs. I feed the cats. I feed the horses. Hmmm...having watched "The Lions of Crocodile River" last night, male humans are pretty much like male lions...they protect their pride (home), propogate offspring, and do relatively little else (IMHO). And, I know that in my case and our daughter's, we are "superwomen". I'm just feeling a little worn out right now.