$58

That's the going rate for resoling a pair of Cole Haan loafers. I thought Cole Haans were supposed to last forever?

feeding roses

Here's a picture of my rose garden. I've been saving and drying banana peels to add potassium to the soil but it too cold and blustery to do that today. I've decided to post a rose garden photo each month to document it's progress. In April or after the last frost, I start out feeding every ten days or so with Scotts Rose & Bloom. I also use Miracle Gro for roses and a generic brand of bone meal to add nitrogen. I'm sure we will add another layer of mulch and because we have very friendly neighborhood deer I use  Liquid Fence Deer Repellent on a regular basis. It smells like stinky feet but it's a bud saver!!

hillary

I've always been fond of the Clintons. Bill was the first president that I really followed and although he has some character flaws, I consider him to be brilliant and he made an excellent leader. Likewise, Hillary is also brilliant and I feel she is doing a remarkable job as our Secretary of State. Now I'm going to put this out there, maybe something weird will happen and she will actually hear about it. Hillary dear, I love you but you need to cut your hair. Oprah looks good with shoulder length hair, so does Candy Crowley (she works for CNN) but not you. Think Diane Sawyer or better yet, Leslie Stahl. Losing a couple of inches would do wonders for your appearence and make you look more youthful, don't we all want that. Oh and by the way, someone should give the word to Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger, What is she thinking!!  

another ugly building

I don't know why they keep building such ugly buildings in this town, here's the latest example. The new jail will open soon. May it always keep the bad ones in and the good ones out. My complaint is why didn't they make the whole front part brick then maybe do something like a keystone above each arch to dress it up as the building faces a major downtown street. Yes, it was probably cheaper to put up that ugly white tile but it doesn't look right. Let's keep everything traditional, even the jail house okay!

two million dollars

They offered him two million dollars to stay but he decided to leave anyway. Why is a basketball coach worth that much money? The whole idea of paying big bucks to sports figures is all wrong, especially coaches at state universities. Teachers are facing lay offs because there isn't enough money to pay their salaries which will lead to overcrowded classrooms and in the end, students will suffer.
 One year I had twenty nine first graders. That was one of the years when we were still  "grouping" and I met with four reading "groups" daily. Oh, I didn't have a facilitator either to help with the "slower ones." They were there, they just weren't diagnosed yet.
When I started teaching, my beginning salary was in the teens. I was single so I lived with my mother and walked to school. A lot of people thought I was one of the students because I looked so young. I loved it!!

keeping busy

First of all, I've given up on the pajama project. After two days of cutting out, basting seams, sewing and ripping out, I had to say "enough!" I did get the top together but the armholes were all wrong and the weather was nice and I just didn't want to sew anymore. I'm going to recycle the material into a drawstring bag for either my yarn projects or my walking shoes.
The baby is due any day and I am ready to go back to work for awhile. I bought some new clothes and I am looking forward to being a teacher again. The kindergarten classroom is on one end of a very long elementary school so I'll get plenty of walking in during the school day. Usually I'm walking between 4 and 5 miles daily. By the way, the Bradford pear trees are beginning to bloom here and they are gorgeous!! But oh do they stink!  

ready to create

I decided to go with a simple top pattern, I'll cut a pajama pants pattern from a pair I already own. The fabric is wonderfully soft and the pattern is simple enough that I know I'm going to love it when I'm finished. Now, why am I not sewing today? Because I'm reading about elephants, that book is just too darn good to put down and I am fascinated by it!

pajamas

I feel the need to start a new project and here's the reason: I am extremely picky about what I wear to bed. No knits, satin or shiny material for me. The only think I am comfortable in is Egyptian cotton and that's hard to find. I know I could probably order online from a higher end department store but I want to feel the fabric to make sure it's soft enough. Actually, I have ordered them in the past from Lands End but for for unknown reason they have switched to knit. What's a purist like me suppose to do! I have a little sewing machine and I think I am crafty enough to tackle this. Yes, since it is raining today I'll make a trip to our little mall to search for a simple pattern and of course, lovely Egyptian cotton. Pictures to follow!! 

signs of spring

No, not the robins or the little green shoots popping up from the damp ground. For the past seventeen years or since we have lived here, the first sign of spring has always been, well, unwelcome visitors. Have you guessed it, ants made their appearance last night as we were fixing dinner. I got my annual lecture about keeping the counters spotless clean and  absolutely no dirty  dishes left in the sink. Hey, it doesn't matter, they're gonna come no matter what. You know that saying about "death and taxes?" We can add ants at our house.  
Last night I started reading another great book, The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. I've had my name on the reserve list at the library for so long I think the book was lost for awhile. It was worth the wait.