Last night I had my first school related nightmare. It wasn't that bad, really. I guess I'm getting used to the dream students not listening to me, loosing important papers, running out of time and loosing the seating charts. My dream self didn't seem as stressed and I didn't wake up with my heart pounding. In fact, I woke up thinking "man, I miss that kid - such a PITA, but I really miss having him around."
The school secretary also called me yesterday to remind me that I need to use my 7 hours of prep time before next week. I wonder how many other slackers got the call... ?
The family reunion was great. From the outside it probably seemed a tad strange, but it's us. We had 3 dogs and 6 kids under the age of 10. All of the ladies over age of 30 were knitting/crocheting most of the evenings and my great uncle told his 87th rendition of the story of the Keopke Brothers. The Keopke brothers were neighbors of my great-grandparents. "Bachelor boys;" they had more than few unsavory habits, but could be counted on to show up early at threshing time and between the two could fix just about any mechanical item thus far invented (in the 50s) and would take a homemade pie for payment. They were huge men, but had very high pitched, squeaky voices. The dichotomy and their shyness made them objects of awe and fear for all the local kids. The unsavory habit? They both chewed tobacco. When it came time to spit, they would mearly pull the bib of their overalls forward and spit on to the shirt underneath. Bathing was not a priority. Then again, if you have to haul water into the house and heat it on the stove, bathe and then haul the water back out again, it probably wouldn't be seen as an enjoyable activity on a daily basis.
FYI - Ferry County, WA is still pretty rural. Lots of people still do not have indoor plumbling or electricity, and are perfectly happy without it. Old machines have a higher value because they can be repaired more easily than new ones and don't have tiny parts that require a long drive to replace. The lack of "modern conviences" (Starbucks, McDonalds, cable television) only serve to make it a better place live. It is the almost total lack of economy that makes it a hard place to live.
Also, if you haven't gone to the Okanogan Valley to pick up some boxes of fruit... you are missing out! The peaches are darned near perfect this year!
The school secretary also called me yesterday to remind me that I need to use my 7 hours of prep time before next week. I wonder how many other slackers got the call... ?
The family reunion was great. From the outside it probably seemed a tad strange, but it's us. We had 3 dogs and 6 kids under the age of 10. All of the ladies over age of 30 were knitting/crocheting most of the evenings and my great uncle told his 87th rendition of the story of the Keopke Brothers. The Keopke brothers were neighbors of my great-grandparents. "Bachelor boys;" they had more than few unsavory habits, but could be counted on to show up early at threshing time and between the two could fix just about any mechanical item thus far invented (in the 50s) and would take a homemade pie for payment. They were huge men, but had very high pitched, squeaky voices. The dichotomy and their shyness made them objects of awe and fear for all the local kids. The unsavory habit? They both chewed tobacco. When it came time to spit, they would mearly pull the bib of their overalls forward and spit on to the shirt underneath. Bathing was not a priority. Then again, if you have to haul water into the house and heat it on the stove, bathe and then haul the water back out again, it probably wouldn't be seen as an enjoyable activity on a daily basis.
FYI - Ferry County, WA is still pretty rural. Lots of people still do not have indoor plumbling or electricity, and are perfectly happy without it. Old machines have a higher value because they can be repaired more easily than new ones and don't have tiny parts that require a long drive to replace. The lack of "modern conviences" (Starbucks, McDonalds, cable television) only serve to make it a better place live. It is the almost total lack of economy that makes it a hard place to live.
Also, if you haven't gone to the Okanogan Valley to pick up some boxes of fruit... you are missing out! The peaches are darned near perfect this year!
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