Consolation Prize

Today, the 9th graders at my school packed up for a camp out.   The kids were told a mountain was our destination and technically speaking, it is called a mountain.  But let's just say that these East Coast "mountains" fail to impress a girl who grew up in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  They are camping on a hill.  A lovely hill, mind you, but a hill nonetheless.

Alas, I digress……the camping lasts for three days and though I can't stay the night (see: single mama), I did go up for the day to hang out with my homeroom.  The rainy ride north took longer than expected and my group was ready for lunch when the grumbling school bus disgorged them at 11:30.  Two hours later, after making a steep climb up a rocky hill, they were gnawing their fists off.  At a hungry 2:30, I declared it every-woman-for-herself-hour up on the hill and I cleared out in order to fulfill my mama responsibilities.   I got back to school by 4, fetched the boy, and headed home for a well-earned supper.

The lesson of the day is that I prefer to be in control of my schedule.  Also, I make one hell of a smothered burrito.

Real Life Conversations with JT: Summer Vacation edition

The backstory:  Last week, the Upper School had final exams.  That resulted in a relaxed mode for me, as my only obligation was to give my exams and then grade them.  On the other hand, JT's Middle School exams and other end-of-the-year projects did not require a special schedule and by the end of the week he was feeling rather worn out.  We've just one more week to go but the boy is over it as the following Thursday night conversation revealed.

JT:  No teacher can teach me anything now.  I'm in off-mode.

Mama:  Oh yeah?

JT:  Yup.  There's a switch and I am done.

At least we were warned.

June 1st: Front Yard Flowerbed

Spring started early around here and it's been a season of lovely warm days; the best spring in my memory, in fact.  I had my vegetable garden planted by the middle of April, which means that I am actively watching the rain totals and that too has been right on target.  The result is that everything in the yard has the fresh color and texture of new green.  The front yard flowerbed is no exception.

 The azaleas have finished blooming.  A few weeks ago, I put some gladioli bulbs down and those flowers will be the next color in the bed.  Come August, the rose-of-Sharon tree will bloom.  Making a picture of this patch of garden each month has made me mindful of how it changes, a nice metaphor for the progress of the calendar year.

Vocabulary with T: Ramshackle

Strictly speaking, this month's vocabulary with T features a word that is not unique to her.  Ramshackle was an already established dictionary word-in-good-standing when T got hold of it.  So it's not the word itself we're interested in here.  It's T's use of the word.

When something has been jimmy-jangled together in a confusing fashion, it's ramshackle.  When an idea is about to be executed in a half-assed manner, that's ramshackle.  Anything falling apart or otherwise is in disrepair is ramshackle.  If someone just did something stupid, that's a ramshackle action.

I think that what she likes about ramshackle is that it sounds like what it is: rickety and dilapidated.  What I like about ramshackle is the drawn-out, ramshackle way T says it, declaring the facts as she sees 'em, ma'am.

Sassafras Ivy

When I showed JT the poison ivy rash I've acquired in the crook of my elbow, his response pretty well summed it up, "It sucks to be you."

As any mother would be, I'm touched by his level of concern.  The rash seems to be confined to one spot and is just the sort of reward I should have expected for my efforts to remove weeds from the overgrown flower bed in the backyard.  Someone pass me the cortisone.

You May Be Seated

After 10 years of wrangling a bunch of half-assed repairs, my chair at school finally gave up the ghost.  Luckily, the final collapse didn't happen when students were in the room.

 I can't say that I am disappointed as the replacement chair is all sorts of awesome.  I jokingly refer to my desk as "the bench" and now I've a chair worthy of that joke.  If it grades final exams for me, it will be damn near perfect.

The Warren

JT loves to play outside in the backyard.  He plays there all year long, but especially loves the backyard in the summer, when the trees are full of green leaves and he has more places to hide for his games.  His favorite secret spot is in the corner of the yard, tucked behind a maple tree and an abundance of climbing ivy.  I call it his warren.

For his birthday, he received a gnome door and last weekend, T and I placed it on the maple tree.  JT figured that the gnomes will like his secret corner as much as he does.

I figure that his gnome door will help along the already impressive imagination of my boy.  That's happy!

Food Friday: Chevre Toast

Like any good liberal, I often listen to The Splendid Table on NPR.  There is a feature of the show in which listeners call in to seek cooking advice for dinner parties and the host, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, provides advice.  A few weeks ago, Rosetto Kasper helped a caller plan an outdoor, Italian-themed party and mentioned a twist on the usual bruschetta.  My ears perked up and this week I gave the recipe a try.  It was very simple to make and you should try it.

Ingredients
- 1 baguette, thinly sliced
- thinly sliced and diced radish
- thinly sliced green onion
- chevre
- olive oil
- course salt

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line the baguette slices up on a cookie sheet and lightly brush olive oil on each slice.  Toast the bread for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

On each slice, spread a bit of chevre, top with a few radish bits and a few green onions.  Put a smidge of salt on each slice.  Serve immediately.  I served mine with a pasta dish but they would also make a terrific accompaniment to a hearty green salad, a fresh spring soup, or something from the grill.  They could also serve as an appetizer.

Bread, cheese, and veggies.....that there is my happy food trifecta.  They are tasty and easy to make and can be served with virtually any warm weather food.  Make some today!

Will it help me to time travel?

At some point last fall, T and I were in the car when I spotted a sign for a place called 1800 Mattress.  I was amused, pointed it out to T, and then began to make the kind of jokes that only a history teacher makes: "Is the mattress filled with fresh straw?" and "Do they let you pluck your own geese for the down in your 19th century mattress?"  That sort of thing.  I was just winding up for some quality humor when I realized that T looked confused.  She then patiently explained that it wasn't 1800 Mattress, it was 1-800 Mattress.

Oh.

From an historical point of view, that's not nearly so thrilling.  However, it does come in handy when you finally admit you need a new mattress.  Which I desperately did, as poor T's back can attest.  A few weeks ago, I fired up the computer and headed over to 1-800 Mattress to order up a replacement mattress.  Within 24 hours, it arrived at my door and seconds after that, T and I scored ourselves a Saturday afternoon nap.  That there is called modern convenience.

Each night, I climb into bed eager to sleep on my new, soft, straw tick.  It's a glorious, glorious thing.

May Flowers

In addition to having an early spring, this year's spring has brought us truckloads of nearly perfect weather: mild sunny days, cool nights and loads of sun.  My garden is coming along nicely and there are tomato blooms (blooms! in May!).  But it's the flowers which have truly outdone themselves.  The daffodils, tulips, azaleas, and lilacs have passed.  I've already noted that the rhododendron is lovely. 

After volumes of angst, the clematis vine, now in its second year, is doing well.

In the backyard, the lily and gladiola bulbs are coming along nicely. 

 The fuchsia in my Mother's Day tea cup has bloomed its lavish flower.

I potted some geraniums for the pot in front of the house.

This year's front porch hanging pots are vivid dark pink New Guinea impatiens.

These flowers greet me every day and with just a few weeks of school remaining, I am looking forward to more time in the garden.   In pursuit of that goal, I've got a few more zinnia seeds to place in the ground. 

With any luck, I'll have fresh cut flowers for August.  That's happy!