Back to Old Virginny

 We spent the last few days up Nawth in Poquoson, Virginia at the lovely waterfront home of our good friends Linda and Bill Pearson.  I went to college with Linda back in the day and we remain good old Cokernuts. 

Linda and Bill have been married 45 years.  They went all through school together until college and started dating in fourth grade.  That means they went to the afternoon movie together each paying for their own admission and popcorn.....twenty-four cents each.

 Saturday night they had two other couples over for a down home good time reminiscing the good old Coker Days.  The gentleman to my right is JUDGE Louie Lerner.  Let me tell you he has some tales to tell about the cases he hears in his courtroom nowadays.

 This is Jim and Mary Elese Krebs.  Jim is a retired Army man who still does his PT every day AND rides his bike.  Although coming up on eighty he takes NO PILLS.  For you young whippersnappers....any one who doesn't take some kind of medication after age 60 is either dead or a bionic person.

Last but not least here is the Judge's wife Melissa Patrick.  She and I took many a roadtrip to UVa in Charlottesville.  We even were the witnesses for a wedding on one of our trips.....I can't remember what we were doing in the courtroom, LOL.

The BIG reason we came now was because it was the weekend of the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show.

Linda and I had a great time shopping.  There was so much to see and do and we pretty much saw it all.

Except for this quilt (fabric art ?) that raised some eyebrows.  The most offensive area has been blocked out.

The creator says it represents a homeless woman and her child living in a cardboard box with no resources.

When a male friend of mine heard I was quilting his response was, "I thought only Puritans and Quakers did that."  Au Contrair.

I Heart My Grandchildren

 My grandchildren are getting older.  All but one are between nine and twelve.  They don't need me to read stories to them any more.  But they still like to make sugar cookie and decorate them.

(This picture is out of order.  The last time I tried to move it it went into cyber space and I had to start over.)  Another thing they still like to do is play games.

Megan and I had a hard fought game of checkers.  We started this game of Scrabble and Michael came and we started over with him.  Megan was the scorekeeper which was a good way for her to practice her math.  Being a grandmother/teacher I have to guard against making every thing a lesson but I am thrilled when some skills are involved in our games.  She used the dictionary a lot during our Scrabble game.  She found two or three words I really didn't think were words.  It was a good thing she did look them up!

They also spent a lot of time hunting with the bb guns we keep here.  They did get one starling.  Hubs made them bury it :)

I hope you get to spend some time with the people you heart :)

Back to the Classroom

I got a call last week asking me to come back to Plainview Elementary, where I was Principal back in 2001, to work with some Kindergartners who needed extra help.

How could I say "no" to the sweetest kids at the best school in the universe?

It was surprising to me how many things had changed in ten seemingly short years. 

• Now children have breakfast in the classroom.  Not sure where that idea came from or the whys. 

• All classroom doors are locked all the time.  This is to prevent intruders.  It would seem easier to lock the outside doors instead. 
• Little or no outside recess after their kindergarten year.  Not before school....or during school.
• Kindergarten is now First Grade.  Back in the day when I taught ktg. we played, sang, cooked, painted, etc...  Now we are working hard on skills.  Reading. Writing. Rithmetic.  Why?
• First Grade is now Second Grade. Get it?

Not sure what I think of all this....but I do think the children are wonderful.  They are happy to come to my classroom, and work hard on whatever I put out for them that day.  Some of them have heavy burdens, (two have lost parents this year, one's Mom has cancer) but they have that wonderful childlike resilience....that makes Donnamo happy to go work with them :)

What are your best school memories?