day two, duties

When I sub in one of the autistic classrooms I always assume the duties of an aide. Even if the teacher is absent, the aide assigned to the class will take over the teacher's duties. A facilitator is hired to shadow a student with especially severe problems. I have done that as well. When I work with the autistic kids I never wear my good jewelry. Here are some of my duties:

• Meet the students getting off the bus and lead them by hand to the classroom.
• Remind them where their cubby is and assist taking off backpacks. Check inside for notes.
• Try to get them interested in playing: kitchen, dress-up, crafts, cars and trucks, train set, sensory table, blocks, puzzles and books, and so on.
• Remind them to focus on Teacher during Group Time. Try to keep them in their seats if they are using chairs. Sing, dance and march with them.
• Assist with using the bathroom or change diapers/pull ups.
• Assist with hand washing and snacks.
• Clean and sanitize tables.
• Assist on the playground. Make sure they have a helmet on if riding a trike. Watch for any unsafe behavior. Lead them by hand back to the classroom when outside time is over.
• Assist with backpacks and lead them by hand to their bus.
• Sweep up glitter, rice, noodles. Get ready for the second group. 

wild flower

These flowers were just so dainty, I just had to take a picture. I don't know the name but I might have to do some googling to find out. Today the temps were in the low to mid 80s. I walked 6.41 miles. Yes, I was very hungry when I got home. That's 14,544 steps and that does not include the "dog walk" I took with Sam earlier this morning. He's a big sniffer and has to stop at every tree or bush in the neighborhood.

riverside

I walked this morning at Riverside Park. It's close to my house and I knew there was a walking trail but I had never walked it. Of course, because it is called Riverside it has a river view and even a historical marker.

Lewis and Clark passed by way back in 1804.

There is also a playground for the kids and a swimming pool. It's empty now but right before they closed it they invited all the dogs in town to come for a swim. I didn't take Sam as he is not fond of water.

There is also a large stone house at what was once the entrance to the park. No one lives there but it must be used for something because there is a sign on the door thats says "no smoking".

I only walked 3.38 miles. I had to come home because I was starving!

day one

I subbed yesterday in one of the newly constructed autism classrooms. We played with lots of new toys, marched around the classroom playing bells and clackers, and rode trikes on the playground until it became too hot to stay out. Oh yeah, there were some poopy diapers too! 

the fair

Did I mention that I walked 7.3 miles! Did not eat anything fried but had a great pulled pork sandwich at the Pork House above. Here are some more pics:

This last picture shows six team draft horses pulling wagons. I guess I was sitting on the wrong side for the picture.

what i'm reading

I walked 4.02 miles this morning on the Greenway trail. It has some pretty steep hills so I was hot and very sweaty when I finally got back to my car. I noticed that the fall wild flowers are starting to bloom. I'll post a picture next week of a lovely little bush along this trail.
Here's a list of what I've been busy reading this week:

• Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin by Frank Bailey. No I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin but I am a political junkie and I read it simply to gain information.
• Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zucoff. This is a true story of a WWII plane crash in the jungle-covered mountains of New Guinea. This is a fascinating book and I plan to finish it today.
• Dear Harry Love Bess by Clifton Truman Daniel. What can I say, I love everything about Harry Truman!
• The Everything Guide to Algebra by Christopher Monahan. Every so often I check out a math book and work my way through it just to keep my skills sharp.

martha stewart

Yesterday I walked 5.54 miles in my neighborhood. This morning I walked 5.29 miles on the Washington Park trail. The weather was cool and glorious; just right for morning walks.
Now if I am be catty...
 I saw Martha Stewart on the Today Show as I was putting on my shoes this morning and I feel I must give a shout-out to her. Martha, you are looking a little ratty and it's all because of your hair. The color is fine but that "pulled behind the ear school girl look" is so out of style. Use some of your millions and get yourself updated girl!

happy birthday little man

Today you are ten years old and that makes you a whooping seventy seven years old in doggy years! You were such a little furbaby when you came to live at our house, barely five pounds soaking wet. One day your Human Father came home from a South Dakota hunting trip. The pheasants were plentiful that year and he brought home his limit of headless, bloody birds. He was busy arranging them on the garage floor and I was getting ready to take yet another dead bird picture when you snatched one and managed to lug it upstairs. Here you were, running through the house with that huge pheasant in your mouth and your Human Father chasing after you. I collapsed on the couch laughing at you.
 Make God grant you seventy seven more my little friend! 

braille

This morning I helped the Braille ladies from church put together an eighteen page book entitled Alone, Alive, Fulfilled. It is a rainy day here so walking is out of the picture anyway. My job was to work on the assembly line sandwiching the braille plates between sheets of cardboard. We started at nine and worked till eleven making 34 books suitable for second-graders. These books will be shipped to a little town in California and then distributed to blind schools throughout the world.
I also decided to make a big pot of vegetable soup, the rainy day just calls for it!

new courthouse & school prayer

I walked 4.56 miles downtown yesterday. I finally got a picture of our new federal courthouse. Impressive!

It sets right across the street from this jewel:

It hasn't housed prisoners for quite some time but it is open for tours, both day and night. You wouldn't catch me on any midnight tour though, I've heard the place is haunted.

Dear Jesus,
Little children are going back to school this week. Whether by car, bus, bike or two feet, please keep them safe.

the anniversary prayer

On Thursday I walked 5.27 miles. Today I walked 5.33 miles. I was afraid that we would have thunderstorms this morning but it turned out be be cool and breezy, perfect for walking. Yesterday when I finished my walk, my toes were hurting. This morning they were still pretty sore so instead of my Nikes I grabbed these.

They were an "on sale" purchase that I made earlier this summer. Made by Keen, they were a dream to walk in. Wow, no more sore toes!

Dear Jesus,
After 30+ years of marriage we are still very much in love. Together, we share mutual respect and affection, and a willingness to work through our problems. As we get ready for a major house remodel please help me to remember what buttons I can and cannot push.

mileage and home project

After weeks of crazy hot weather and high humidity I was finally able to walk 5.24 miles this morning on my favorite trail. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
We are finally ready to dig into some of the projects that have been in the planning stages for the summer months. Who wants to do any excess sweating in the Missouri heat if you don't have to, don't you agree? Our first project involves building a stone retaining wall in our backyard to level it out, installing in-ground sprinklers in both the front and back; and instead of a deck, constructing a brick or stone patio along the side of our house. We have lived with a sloping backyard ever since we built this house and at one time had plans to put a pool in but that did not pan out. Maybe a fountain that runs along the side of our new patio?

mother and dad

I woke up thinking about my mother this morning. She died six years ago in her sleep, literally here one day and gone the next. One of the many things I was going to do when I retired was spend more time with her. It doesn't seem fair that now that I'm retired, she's not here.
 But I do see her. Every time I look in the mirror I see the shape of her face, her mouth and eyes. I look a lot like my mother and that is very comforting to me. I also know that as a Christian, she is celebrating in Heaven with her Lord and Savior and eventually I will see her again.
 Now my father, he was a handsome dude in his day and as he aged he turned into former President Harry S. Truman.
 Dear Jesus, Thank you for giving me Christian parents. More now than ever, I value what they did for me when I was little.

august

To me this month means that school is starting soon and to get me motivated I have always used that excuse to buy new clothes. Now that I have progressed to "just subbing" I don't have decorating the classroom hanging over my head anymore or long hours spent on curriculum or committee meetings. Being a teacher means getting used to early morning phone calls again and that's okay because I am a genuine "morning person". Of course, I will have to buy some new clothes, just because that's what I've always done.