Where has the time gone?

OMG!! LOL!! I am a horrible blogger; it has been almost two months since I last blogged.  The main 'excuse' is the end of the school year is way too busy for staff and students both.  We are on the go trying to jam so much in a short time span -- gets more and more hectic every year, it seems. My other 'excuse' is I really didn't have much to blog about as Telephone Man and I aren't too exciting... get up, go to work, come home, and do it again the next day. Yeah, I'm 'semi-retired' for a few weeks now til the new school year begins in mid August!
However, I am posting today after catching up on some of you and wanting to say hi! I will try to do better, I promise!
Smile and scatter kindness...

Guns in Kindergarten

Did you read/hear the news today about a kindergartener having a gun in his pocket at school? It fell out of his pocket during lunch injuring him and a couple other students. Luckily, none of the injuries are life threatening. Sorry, my judgmental finger points straight at the adult(s) with whom this child resides. How can there be any justification for this child having access to this gun? Where will this irresponsibility to children end? Okay, I'll slide down from my soapbox now.

On another note, our weather turned 'stormy' late this afternoon. We had some rain and wind but no hail. 'Tis the season' -- unfortunately. Bless those throughout the states that have had tornadoes in the last few days. Mother Nature can not be outsmarted but must be respected. She can make any of us shake in our boots.

I haven't made it out on Dyna yet this spring. I am hoping for a ride this weekend. TM hasn't been riding his Road Glide to work either. The weather has just been too crazy! We both have Good Friday off, and I'd love to scoot down to Grafton, IL to go to The Loading Dock. It's a great site for a cool drink [mine is Diet Pepsi when on the bike!] and watch the Muddy Mississippi roll by. Okay, so there are a 'few' antique shops in town, too -- maybe we should take the dualie instead! lol



The Loading Dock

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!



Safe travels, Bloggger Friends

We have had a couple of busy weeks. Both TM and I have had the 'dreaded' upper respiratory infections. TM was really sick a few days, which is so unlike him. However, we are better and all is well again.
This weekend we relaxed in front of the TV and  watched NASCAR at Talladega on Saturday.It was a bit cool when we woke up, so TM lit the fireplace and I made a pot of chili. What a nice, quiet Saturday! Today we drove to Hannibal, MO so I could go to The Paddlewheel Popcorn Factory, but they were closed. Also, there were no store hours posted at all, so I had no idea if or when they opened on Sunday. Bummer, as I have a movie/popcorn party tomorrow at school for my 6th graders! TM and I just went to Wally World where I bought microwave popcorn and tons of candy to make up for not having cheddar cheese and caramel popcorn. My students will be happy with anything just because they won't have an assignment. I am the jr. high student council sponsor, and one of our events is an annual Food Drive. The 6th grade class donated the most food items and in turn won the movie/popcorn party. TM was happy we got home in time for him to catch Jimmy Johnson win Talladega today!
As I read several blogs, I see that many of you are on the road "home" from your winter in the sun. Be careful as you travel and be safe Blogger Friends!

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!

Senior citizens wash & vacuum deal

We are having wonderful weather this weekend - 70 degrees today. Am I out riding Dyna? No, dear hubby has a horrible cold plus is recuperating from working his rotational 6 day weeks for the month of March [he could retire but wants to wait until I do]. He is a trooper. Therefore, this weekend I've been doing the housework routine [somewhat] of washing and vacuuming. I wish I could find the deal mentioned in the photo below -- ha! Telephone Man tells me he's a senior citizen at 62 but not me at 56. Oh, I beg to differ. All he needs to do is ask my students...

We're watching [well, TM is anyway] the NASCAR race at Martinsville this afternoon. Martin Truex and Kasey Kahne just had their big smash up, so TM is switching back and forth from the race to the Cards/Padres game. That drives me nutso - he just laughs at me!

 We had lunch on our front porch even though it's quite windy. That was a nice 'event' for the day. Life is good!

All my siblings/cousins who are winter Texans have made it back to Illinois safely. I live about 230 miles west of my hometown, so we'll be riding over next weekend (weather permitting) to visit with them. Next weekend is also the annual Moonshine Lunch Run I've mentioned in a previous post. I look forward to getting out on the bikes. Safe travels to all of my blogger buddies!

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!

Home on the Range

Winter has returned! Well, not exactly but after a few days of sunshine and 60 - 65 degree days we had a few flurries and 36 degree weather. Spring IS just around the corner - so I hear through the grapevine. Telephone Man and I spent last Sunday afternoon working in the yard. He bought a 'thatcher' that pulls behind our lawnmower, and he just had too much fun! I should have taken pictures; he acted like a farmer disking a field. However, today is another story. We've both spent today Home on the Range in the house in front of a fire in our fireplace -- sweet! I do know our future RV will have a 'fake' fireplace, at least. We had a small electric 'fake' fireplace in our Hitch Hiker and loved it! Speaking of loving something in an RV -- I found this photo of a Big Country's kitchen and think I am in love. I also like their enclosed bath. I seem to keep leaning toward a Heartland, but we haven't 'toured' any as of yet. TM and I both know we'll really get the bug if we do, and we have 4 years to go! Waaaaah...

In the interim, I love reading your blogs and hope to meet some of you on the road soon.

 Keep smiling and scatter kindness!

To Text or not to Text, that is THE Question

Phones, phones... hmmm - since I am married to Telephone Man, who has been one [telephone man -- NOT a phone per se...LOL] for 44 years [no, we have not been together that long], I have a special affinity for the good, old-fashioned phone. TM and I will keep a land line phone as long as they're still available !Of course, we both have cell phones. Telephone Man carries two around; one is a personal phone and the other is his work phone. Cell phones, to me, are for phone calls. I don't have a Smart Phone; my dumb phone suits me for now. However, I do text a bit more than I used to.  I just don't 'get' why people are texting so much - standing in the checkout line of grocery stores, going into a movie, sitting with a table full of family/friends, at any type of sporting event one attends, social gatherings, meetings, etc. I can't seem to make myself adjust to using text lingo. LOL is my limit, and I am sure I over use that! I have some students who have a hard time leaving text lingo out of their writing. We have a few good laughs once in a while over texting lingo. One of them brought the cartoon below to me one day. So, here we go... to text or not to text; not in your English papers or spelling assignments, please!

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!

Catching up!

I am not very consistent with blogging, am I? It has been over a month since my last entry already. I just haven't had much to talk about other than going to work and coming home. I did download a photo or two of my Iowa pork chop leftover from TM's and my Valentine date night. It was huge! TM ate the leftovers the next day.

On February 26th my mother turned 86. Several of my family members met at Ryan's in Terre Haute, IN to help Mom celebrate. She loves Ryan's and chose to eat there. Here is a picture of my mom.

Telephone Man and I have been discussing various RVs. We had a Hitch Hiker II before which we loved. It had an island kitchen that I adored for the extra counter space. I've been checking out Heartlands lately online. I like the Big Country but have not toured one yet. We are in no hurry anyway!



Perhaps we can build a campercycle like this one! Too cool, right?



We have had some 'warmer' days lately [40s are warm to me], but it is a bit colder again this weekend. As long as there is sunshine, I am a happy woman!

 I want to thank Kit and Jerry [www.kitandjerry.com] for sending letters back to all of my 6th grade students. Last fall I used Kit and Jerry's blog with my 6th graders while studying the components of friendly letters. They wrote letters to Kit and Jerry asking about their RV and travels. The kids were so excited when I handed their replies out to them. Plus, Kit and Jerry sent a CD with several photos of their travels and home in Brackettville, TX. We all felt as if we were 'on the road' with them!

Keep smiling and scatter kindness!