Cozumel was a fun time.

The Ranger and I took a trip to Cozumel a couple months ago.  We traveled with scuba diving friends. We do NOT scuba dive.  That meant lots of time to ourselves even though we were there with a group of eight.  The Ranger and I did a ton of reading (my Kindle was great, I never ran out of reading material), hung by the pool, did some sight seeing, walked about and consumed one or two cocktails.  The Ranger did a lot of snorkeling, I did a little. The snorkeling right out from the hotel beach was quite nice, I was amazed at the variation in fish from day to day.
One of our friends also free dives.  Free diving is the only way a person can spear fish.  Lucky for us he was extremely successful (on two separate dives). He brought the fish back to the hotel where the chef was more than happy to prepare them for our dinner on two different evenings.

It is not often that I get to eat fish that was swimming in the ocean 

only a few hours earlier.

We spent an entire day touring the island, Mayan ruins, snorkeling and visiting a tequila 'factory'.  Did I mention the traveling part of the tour was spent in the backseat of a Polaris?  Windy & dusty, but a great way to see the island.  The other couple was more than willing to drive, so they were the ones that learned to "drive like a Mexican"!  (direct quote from the tour guide)

This rocky coast on the opposite side of the island 

(from our hotel) had some great surf.

We did see some sail-boarders, but they were too far for a good shot.

The Mayan Ruins were interesting.  I thought it would be a larger area.

Our guide was knowledgeable and assured us that they will be celebrating on 12-12-2012,

not worrying about the 'end of the world'.

The view from our hotel deck was far more pristine and quiet.

Lots of boats and the hotel pools were there by the small beach area. 

We learned that traveling with dive weights is an adventure on it's own level. Different airports have different rules about having them in carry on luggage.  As in - you can carry on into Cozumel, but not out of Cozumel. Makes for interesting luggage rearranging at the airport.  We also learned that the humidity makes everything weigh more, so our luggage was heavier coming home than going.  Lucky we didn't buy that second bottle of tequila. That three hour time frame for international airport travel was not an exaggeration on this trip.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day!

It was a great day.
Daughter J brought the boys over for brunch and to spend the afternoon and R joined us on a break from work for the eating part. Baby G sat at the table with all of us and ate a bit of fruit.  Where did the time go?  He is so close to crawling and then, look out world.  Little J played outside almost all afternoon while his Papa watched him napped on the patio!  Big E spent the afternoon with earbuds firmly in his ears and IpodTouch in hand.

I really wanted a picture of Daughter J and I. 

(I want one of Daughter E and I too, but long distance photos just don't work.)

Gorgeous roses from Daughter J, right from her house.  

They smell so good, I will hate to see them fade away.

Heather from Daughter E.  Love them.  

Contemplating pouting one plant outside.

Daughter E called on her way home from work.  I missed having her here. Half a continent away is just too dang far!  We had a good chat and she gets to visit this summer.  

For dinner, the Ranger took me to Lakeside and we were able to eat on the patio in the sunshine.  

A perfect end to a beautiful day.  I am so happy to be the mom to two of the best daughters ever!  

blogging has been on my back burner lately!

Or maybe off the stove and in the cupboard.  Obviously I have not been blogging, but what have I been up to these last months?

• trip to Mexico
• my birthday
• our 40th anniversary
• Easter
• Little J's 4th birthday
• Baby G's 6 months
• Big E's soccer
• trip to Moab
• yard work
• supermoon
• Mother's Day

I will revisit those at some time, complete with pictures.  But for now....

I have a couple sweet potato vines that need a permanent home in a pot out front.  They have been living under the eave in the back for a week.  Explain to me how I can plant 10 pots under the forsythia, all my herbs, a couple tomatoes in pots (so I don't have to walk 'all the way' to garden for a tomato - there are a dozen or more plants in the garden), a few new perennials out front and a random assortment of other flowers and still have things to plant?
So my goal for today is to plant them.
Stay tuned, the Ranger just asked if I want to ride along to Wellfleet while he looks at some land.  Of course I will! And that explains why those particular plants are not in pots.

It is easy to get interrupted.
Life is like that.

It's Leap Day

Today is that day which only comes around every 4 years.  I have been sporadic with my postings, but thought I should not miss the 29th of February because one never knows what the next 4 year could bring.  So I think I might do a bit of a diary of the day.

7:30 am  Daughter E texts to say her friend's baby boy is here.
8:30 am  Squirrel is staring into the house from a high branch on a tree.
9:30 am  Kitchen clean, bailed on the dog walk - too cold and windy for me.
10:30 am  Choosing clothes for trip - ah, summer things in winter
11:30 am  Figuring out the dreaded lunch plan
noon         Dog to groomer
12:30 pm  Lunch over - gotta love leftovers (or as the girls called them-restovers)
1:30 pm  finishing The Heretic's Daughter
2:30 pm  Daughter J and Baby G stop by for a quick visit
              Weather temperature is nice, wind still blowing 22 mph
3:30 pm  Pick up dog from kennel, stop @ library to get new books
4:30 pm  Think about supper
5:30 pm  Make Provencal potatoes to go with flank steak
6:30 pm  Dog in and out a million times  (maybe slight exaggeration)
7:30 pm  Dinner, yum!  Discuss some bicycling plans for spring and summer.  Photography/bike weekend in the Flint Hills of Kansas.  Sounds delightful.
8:30 pm  Dog walked for the final time.  The wind is NOT blowing, first time in over a week.  I would never survived life on the prairie as a pioneer woman.
9:30 pm   Ready to watch a little Parenthood and settle in on the couch for the night.  One of my favorite shows.  Gotta love the DVR.

Pretty much an ordinary kind of day.  One that comes around every 4 years or so!  Or maybe a day like any other.  Ordinary is just fine.

10 truths about me

In the Beyond Layers class, Kim encouraged us to share 10 truths about ourselves.  I wrote 14 and then narrowed it to 10.  What does that say about me?  I don't follow directions?  I don't know when to quit?  We were also encouraged to post a fun photo to 'go with' the truths.  I chose this photo from Big Mac.  It matches up with truth #1 except for the fact that there is no ocean sound.  But there is sand and water.

Winter at Big Mac

• I LOVE the sound of the ocean and sand under my feet. How did that happen to a land locked middle of the country person? 
• I have been married for 40 years to a man called the 'Ranger' after a whirlwind courtship of 7 months - who knew it could be this good? Oh, except for making lunch - why do I have to be responsible for lunch? 
• No one told me that parenting is the single hardest and most gratifying thing a person could ever do. And they also didn't tell me it just never ends. No matter how old, how settled, how responsible my girls are, I have a worry button that doesn't turn completely off. 
• Being a grandmother is the greatest gift and grandsons are the best. They make me smile and bring me joy!
• My camera is my friend and I rarely skip a day without taking a photo (the camera phone helps here), although it does happen on occasion. I struggle with setting up a photo-shoot of still life, that is way out of my comfort zone. I much prefer just taking photos of what is available and working it out that way. 
• I am such a procrastinator. I can be sucked into the 'internetz' in a heartbeat and spend hours before I even know what happened. It doesn't matter if it is photos, crafts, digital scrapbooking, sewing, or random interesting oddities. 
• I have a group of friends I have consistently met with at least once (and usually more) a month for the past 32 years. It is a diverse group, but they make me think, encourage me to try new things, push me to make decisions, and love me like family. Their biggest influence was supporting my return to college, where I finished not one, but two degrees and ended up with a fulfilling teaching career. 
• I am a feminist. I worry about people who don't have enough food or shelter. I know I don't do enough to help my fellow beings. 
• I like wine, really good wine and just good wine and even marginal wine. I have learned that wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good. My absolute favorite is sangiovesse from Italy, but a nice cabernet sauvignon comes a close second. While I will choose an Italian wine whenever possible, wines by Vincent Arroyo winery in California are splendid. 
• Reading is an addiction. I can read a novel in a day, even if that means staying up til the wee hours to finish.

Sewing plans and projects

Daughter J has found a hobby!  She has begun to sew.  Now I have sewing 'skills' that date back to Home Ec class in the mid 60's.  I can close my eyes and see the emerald green shift dress that I made.  Yikes, it is an ugly memory and frankly it was an ugly dress.  But I spent good money on that fabric and I wore it many times.
However J has taste in fabric.  She sees things that go together in a way that amazes me.  I look at the fabric on the bolt and think 'really?' and she just knows it will work.  She made the decision to jump right in.  We generally work well together as long as I don't go straight to 'takeover' mode.  I think I did ok - I know she did great as the seamstress.

Her first projects were burp cloths for Baby G.  Cute fabric!  Some cotton and some flannel.  Lots of measuring and cutting and pinning and ironing and sewing, but they turned out very cute.

So fast forward a week and she is making dresses for her nieces for their birthdays!  The pattern is an updated version of the pillowcase dress.  J has sewing skills!  She cut patterns, sewed seams, did an occasional rip-out (but to her credit, only a couple times and she made three dresses in three days), ironed seams with the best of them and has finished dresses to send off to the little girls. Best of all - she loves her new hobby and is already planning blankets for the boys.  

There was one major discovery.  Thread makes an incredible difference. I had only ever used the old Coats and Clarks, but I am here to tell you there is a vast difference in how nicely the newer thread sews.  I have ditched the old threads for sure.  

Notice there are just two dresses in this picture.  J did make three dresses.  Here is the story:  The pattern had to be adjusted to accommodate the cute contrasting band at the bottom of each dress.  Since I am the one with experience, I measured and adjusted the first one.  Worked great!  I measured the second, cut it, and J sewed.  When it was finished it would have just about fit Baby G. Somewhere in my plan, I measured WRONG.  I totally take full responsibility for the mishap.  I am definitely not considering work in the design industry any time soon.  It about made me break out in a sweat to do the measuring for the third dress, but it went just fine. 

Luckily J has a friend whose daughter will turn one next month, so she gets a little dress too.  

Lake McConaughy is lovely in winter

The Ranger asked me to go along on a field visit west of here.  We spent the day on county roads.  I helped to navigate from one pasture to the next.  It is a good thing that most of the county roads are now marked with signs, but we really did have good maps to work with.  The best part of the day was a stop by Lake McConaughy on the way home.  We go there in the summer for camping and a bit of beach, but I haven't been there in the dead of winter.  We stopped by the eagle viewing station and saw eagles, however it is only open on the weekends, so we weren't able to use the spotting scopes.

This week in Beyond Layers, we were challenged to make a collage that shows a part of our day.  I used some of the photos from the trip to the lake to create my first storyboard.

how to fix a dropped Ipad....Part I

Occasionally something kind of exciting happens at my kitchen table and last night was one of those occasions.  My friend dropped her Ipad and cracked the heck out of the glass.  My techie friend, fixer of all software and hardware issues, made an informed decision to fix it by replacing the screen.  Parts were ordered and arrived and tools gathered.  Youtube video up & running - they got to work.  I hung out to provide moral support and get stuff they might need.

Removing the old, cracked glass was the most difficult.  It took some trial and error to figure out that the glue that holds the glass needed to be heated and kept warm (the video led us to believe that it didn't take that much heat).  Careful use of a heat gun combined with a couple of exacto knives were just the thing to loosen the digitized glass.

Once the glass was loose, they were able to lift it off the important bits, unscrew the the interior piece and remove it to be able to pull the cables.  

The new glass was attached, cables hooked in and the cover replaced.  It definitely was not a one person job,  extra hands were needed to hold things in place and shine flashlights into small areas.

The interior of the Ipad2, not something a person sees everyday.  Looks pretty darn simple for all the cool things an Ipad does.

The real test was turning on the Ipad.  The power button did not work, although the other switch does.  More checking, two removals of new glass later and it was determined that the flex cable had been cut to the power button and will need to be replaced.  

Stay tuned for Ipad Fix - Part II

the office is clean and organized

I told the Ranger that I would would clean and reorganize his office for his birthday present.  Not a particularly romantic present, but one that was certainly needed. We had moved modem cables a month ago and it was time to do the rest.  That meant going through boxes of 'stuff' from his retirement and mine.  'Stuff' that belonged to the daughters.  'Stuff' that needed to filed, thrown away or shredded. It was a semi-daunting task and I had put it off for way too long.  But is it done. The desk moved to the opposite wall, a work space he needs for appraisal work and lots of papers and maps is no longer in the middle of the room.
So that has been my focus for the past 2 days. I didn't even take a picture.  Not one.  But the good news is - the new city recycle bin has had a workout.  It was so wonderful to just take stuff to the alley and not have to haul it to one of the recycling areas in town.  (And I now know when I can take the computer monitor to recycle since I can't just put it in the alley bin, I called the very helpful recycle people).  The Ranger was gone all day doing field work and it was so nice to have the office renovation/cleaning done when he returned home.

whew, that week is over!

I know why I am now retired.  I subbed for three days last week and it made me tired. (For the record, as a comparison to a previous post, I do want to say that the students I taught later in the week were wonderful, their teacher has it together and it made for a wonderful two days.  I just don't spend the majority of my days in that structured an atmosphere.) It also made me behind in laundry, cleaning, cooking and all things connected to my life as a retired person.  I didn't read as much, I didn't keep up with taking photos, and obviously I didn't post here as much.  I do have control over how many days I choose to work and I can tell you that it hopefully will not be three days in the same week again.

As the week flew by Baby G turned three months old.  Where did that time go? How did he move beyond that sweet tiny little bundle to an adorable active baby? It happened in the blink of an eye!

Photo courtesy of Baby G's mama

Our weather is gloomy today.  We are in line to get a wintry mix and a lot of wind. I am tired of wind.  We have managed to have a fairly mild winter, but we are having lots of wind.  I am glad I can cuddle on the couch with a book or the computer and let the wind blow.  All of our out of doors looks like this now.

Winter Zinnias

(kk_paper4 & kk_reversettvframe)

 I am ready for spring.  I guess it shows in this photo I posted on Flickr in the Beyond Layers group.

  

An iris from Patty's flower garden.

(kk_awakening)  

All textures courtesy Kim Klassen

I taught yesterday

This is a vent about kids that are undisciplined, teaching and learning that doesn't happen and the many questions of why.

I really wanted to write about this last night, but frankly I was EXHAUSTED.  I spent the day at one of my local schools teaching library skills.  I love teaching library skills - anyhow I did before retirement and I do when I teach for one of my friends.  But this was very different.  I got there in time to read through lesson plans for the day.  The library classes run 25 minutes each and back to back, there is not time between classes to figure out what will happen next.  Plans for the upper grades in place...great.  Plans for the lower grades NOT anywhere to be found.  I didn't panic, I figured the worst that would happen was a visit to the principle's office and a bye, see ya ... I am not spending my day figuring out someone else's problem. The library para-educator was checking her emails and in walked the teacher with her plans.  We chatted and I looked over the plans. She comments on the way out that her mornings go well, but the afternoons are less than stellar.

First classes come in, I read them a story, we do a bit discussion and talk about some vocabulary, behaviors are under control.  I think - this will be fine.

First class of upper grades show up.  Not a great lesson, but they are finishing a project, I have not seen the entire plan, only the one for this day so I followed through as best I could.  Kids seemed to have sort of an idea of the finished product.  Next class, not so much.  I understand that students do not work at the same pace and do not finish things at the same time.  But the disparity between the classes was great and those who were not very far along appeared to have no grasp on where to go from here.

We managed, I was probably not the most popular substitute ever.  I held them accountable as best I could.  Behaviors were fine for the most part.  Lunch time came and went and the afternoon began.

I don't even know what to say.  Approximately 140+ kids ages 5 to 9 in groups of 20 or so that could not walk into the library, sit down and focus for 25 minutes.  I am not saying every one of the 140+, but the vast majority were unable to manage 25 minutes of attention on a story, video and discussion.  I am not new to teaching and for the life of me I cannot figure out how that huge number of students cannot focus.
It is leadership at the top?  No support for teachers that are doing their best?  Is it teachers who now view teaching as a job instead of a profession?  Teachers on the verge of burnout?  Is it parents who never follow up on what happens at school or are so busy with their own lives that they do not care what happens at school? Is it that particular teacher and the kids have figured out they can get by with bad behavior?  Is it general behaviors that happen in the classroom and everywhere else?

If I knew the answers to those questions then I could solve every question/issue about school behaviors that teachers face each and every day.  But I don't know. I just know that instead of teaching I spent a majority of the day on crowd control, putting out fires and redirecting students.

There was very little learning.
It was not fun.  I do not plan to go back.

Beyond Layers class

started today!  I have been waiting patiently.  OK, to be honest I have been stalking the site, just in case Kim put up a little tease early.  That didn't really happen, but she did send out some emails that keep my heart happy and now the suspense is OVER.  I am thrilled and maybe a bit intimidated.  There are women and a sprinkling of men from everywhere.  I can learn so much, I know I can. I have checked out a couple blogs of my 'classmates' and I must say WOW.  So with any luck some of the creativity and fun and wonder will rub off and I will find my wings and soar.  So for now I am ready.  My word for the year.  Ready for new, ready for what comes, ready to try, just plain ready.

another lovely day

Today was another grand day of weather.  I am constantly waiting for the paybacks that will have to be made for all the enjoyable days so far this winter. Don't get me wrong, I will take it - each and every lovely day just brings me that much closer to spring.
However, the Ranger decided today would be a good day for ME to get on the bike and ride around the lake.  Other people were going, it would be FUN!  I like riding my bike, but I have not ridden for months and so it was agreed that I would drive to the lake, ride around it with the group and then drive home.  Not a 25 mile ride, but about 8.5 miles.  Far more doable for a woman who has not been on a bike since last summer.
So I met up with the group and we head off down the highway.  I forgot that even in my noncompetitive mindset, I still 'want to keep up'.  Instead of just riding my own pace, I try to ride with the rest of them.  Bad idea!  I managed the first third just fine, but then my legs did not want to go that hard anymore.  I tried to concentrate on the gorgeous day, the fact that I was out getting exercise, and that the Ranger was more than willing to ride with me.  But the truth of the matter is that I was a bit sad with myself that I couldn't keep up.  Might have to think about a bit of time at the gym before summer gets here.

I love my bike, fits good, looks fine, just right for me.

Up close - details for my Photo of the Day!

snowy owl shot, worth the wait

I discovered that part of my trouble with my snowy owl photos from yesterday was 'user error' with my camera. This is really not an excuse, but occasionally the Ranger borrows my camera for work and we reset the resolution and the pixels.  Let's just say that the last time that happened, those settings did not magically reset themselves before I went out on the snowy owl hunt!  But I solved that problem and ventured out earlier this morning.  I found the owl about 7 miles east of town.  Not sitting as high as yesterday and I was able to park so that I could get the sun more to my back.

Huge improvement!  I am happy, the Ranger is happy that I am not driving around the county looking for owls, and maybe the owl will be happy to have one less stalker.  

No one told me, when the Ranger and I married almost 40 years ago, that I would catch his penchant for looking for birds. I am not as patient and my identification skills need much work.  But it is fun and something we can do just about anywhere.  

it was a great day!

I have been looking for the snowy owl for days.  Snowy owls are not native to our area, they prefer an arctic habitat, they aren't usually found very far off the ground and they are day hunters.  For some reasons a few of them have wandered into my area.  I have watched the email alerts and driven to the last sightings multiple times.  But I am always a bit late.  No owl and I was beginning to think it would leave the area without me seeing it and trying for a photo.  This morning the email alert says there are TWO snowy owls in the area.  One very close to my house and one about eight miles away.  I gather my camera, extra lens, tripod, binoculars, bird book, water bottle, and drive to the nearer location.  Snowy owl, on the light pole right there where it was suppose to be; perched like it owned the area.  I looked at it through the binoculars.  Gorgeous, puffy, white with black, eyes that blinked and a head that turned.  I took out the camera with my longest lens and tried to get a good shot.  I didn't want to scare it, so I stayed by my car.  They are not known to be skittish, but I wasn't taking any chances.  Not the best snowy owl shot in the world, but it is proof that I saw it.

A bit later I drove to the other location, but alas no snowy owl was to be found.  I did get a photo of this hawk.  Not sure what kind, and here it is hidden in the tree.  Didn't know that hawks were into camouflage.  Watching hawks is an interesting pastime.

Then I did get all of my 12 photos yesterday to show a bit of snapshot of my life.  I got them together and I am sharing them.

I am attempting 12 on 12

OK, I think I am really going to try to do 12 on 12 or Take 12.
Meaning 12 photos on the 12th day of each month of 2012.
You can check out the concept here.
This was my first photo of the day.  I took off the screen to the north, carefully rolled out the window and waited for the birds to come to the feeder.  Tomorrow I will post the other eleven of the day.  It was fun, but it truly made me think.  What kinds of things in my day merit a photo?  When I stress over doing 365+1, why is 12 on 12 easier?  Documenting the everyday stuff is not a bad idea.  Whatever your plan, just take some photos, document your life, maybe make a note or two....but enjoy!  After all, it has to be fun!

just living is not enough.....

It is time for Texture Tuesday once again.  I am amazed at how fast this past week flew by.  I hunted through my photo stash for something I thought would match up nicely with Kim Klassen's Embrace texture.  I thought the quote worked nicely too, but I didn't really like it on the photo.

"Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

Hans Christian Anderson

Linking up to Texture Tuesday with Kim Klassen using the Embrace and Confidence textures.

our weather has been beyond incredible

Record breaking warm temperatures have come to our area.  We are used to bundling up, staying in, making a fire, and wearing a sweater this time of year.  Instead Daughter J was able to take the boys to the park to feed the ducks and see the elk.  It was Baby G's first visit.  Little J ate more bread than he fed to the ducks and E just was just happy to be outside.   

What an incredible treat for January.  I am never sure if this makes the cold worse when it comes (and I have no doubt that it will come).  The Ranger says it just makes the winter shorter since every nice day gets us that much closer to spring.  For a usually ‘glass half empty’ kind of guy, that is very optimistic.   

Little J loves his papa

Little J asked to come over yesterday.  A big deal for a little guy who is a homebody.  He played with the toys and then wanted the dominoes for some ‘chicken foot’.  He had watched the family play over the holidays and remembered the name, but was most interested when Uncle C would make a domino train for Little J to knock over.  Little J can do his own with three or four dominoes, but he loves it when someone puts together a longer one.  The next step in his domino fun is to lay the dominoes end to end with an occasional ‘chicken foot’ thrown in for good measure.  But the best of all was just hanging out with his papa on the couch. 

looking back & looking forward

I am never sure how to approach a new year.  Looking back is delightful, safe, and easy.  Looking forward is a bit scary, unknown and harder.  I have made a decision to join in with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.  I have looked and enjoyed for a long time and now is the time for me to join in.
This photo from Bologna, Italy uses Kim's Embrace texture.  I layered it with Multiply @ 70% and then again with Color Burn also at 70%.