Recovering Dammit…

OK. Made it home. It was questionable for a while, but it all happened. The girlchild is sick so I’m taking all my meds, hoping my middle-school-trained immune system is strong enough to counteract hanging in a car with her for hours plus all the other exposures, because surely, she got it from the same people we were all with all weekend. My first day back at school, I wrote 5 referrals for the kids who couldn’t figure out how to deal with a sub…kicked them out for the egg drop. Got pictures taken and labeled during class of the egg drop materials. Got kids through their assignments (it helps that I overthink every day…the pro of an anxious brain is that I plan a class period in my head about 700 times before I actually teach it. This is also a con.), got packets done for the sex-ed opt-out kids. Need to set up materials this morning for the egg drop; I have one set for each table, but need to be ready to swap out stuff if necessary. I had to sub my prep period yesterday, but luckily, it was mostly a good class and I was able to post the things I needed to and start the seating charts for sex ed. I let them pick one friend to sit with, but then, you know, not everyone picks each other and some kids don’t pick at all, and there’s always too many boys in my classes. I had to kamikaze to the dentist after school while calling pre-anesthesia to make an appointment for the REAL pre-anesthesia appointment, which is before the REAL anesthesia. Gotta make a list of all my meds and supplements. IDK why my surgeon doesn’t have access to the same list I have to review with my doc, but they don’t. It’s annoying. Then I went to the ceramics studio to make sure my stuff hadn’t dried out, picked up my glazed pot that I forgot to photograph and isn’t that exciting anyway, and then went to Costco for the eggs for today. Dropped those back at school in the fridge so I wouldn’t have to do that this morning. Realized as I got back into the car at 5:30 Pacific Coast Time that I was hella exhausted. Like bone-tired. Ah yes. Because it’s 8:30 PM East Coast Time and my body isn’t really sure which time it’s on. Came home, napped, laid around half-dead for a bit, got up, made dinner, made seating charts. It took a massive amount of willpower to not just go to bed, but to come in here and iron for 24 minutes.

Got the other side of Christmas lights done. From a week ago. It’s a start.

I stitched on the plane once I finished my book and my bullet journal for the week. I finished the last house block for Sue Spargo’s Homegrown…

While watching Barbie. It had its pros and cons.

And I started the centerpiece…

While watching the first half of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes or whatever that title actually is. I didn’t draw at all this weekend. Didn’t have the energy or the brainpower. I constantly have to explain why I stitch other people’s patterns when I’m sitting somewhere or traveling. Mine isn’t very travel-happy. I couldn’t have ironed anything on this trip. I have taken stuff to cut out before, but only when it’s at a very controllable stage. I won’t do it on a plane. Too much possibility of losing pieces. Everything I have going is at the ironing or stitchdown stage, so not portable. Plus I don’t have to think about this pattern at all. Someone else already thought it all out for me.

Kitten was glad to see me…

She didn’t eat much and wouldn’t take her meds while I was gone. She doesn’t do well at the moment when I leave. But she’s bouncing back.

This is one of Luna’s most commonly seen facial expressions…

Not sure what she saw (but I suspect it’s usually a demon behind me, based on how she looks).

The ex found a duckling…

It’s OK; he has since found the owner. Apparently another one is wandering around somewhere (not good…we have coyotes). Crazy times. My yard has had all the normal wild animals, plus a chicken, an elderly deaf and blind pug, an injured crow (my neighbor dealt with that), random dogs and cats, but no ducks. Yet.

OK. Well. Today I do 50 egg drops…well, just under that. Plus pilates, which my creaky post-travel body really needs, although after the 500 squat lunges I did a day going up and down the steps in that rental house, my knees are still complaining, but the muscles are fine. I still haven’t watered, so I need to do that tonight, plus take the trash out. And then start grading all the late work. With only 12 days of school left, everything gets rather panicky. Must do it all NOW. Hoping the sleep evens out soon, and the stress too. Too many health issues on top of all that. The next person who asks, “so what are doing this summer?” might get punched. RECOVERING DAMMIT…from a really tough year. Plus doing all the things I haven’t been doing. The floors are disgusting, there’s drawers and cupboards and parts of the house that need a ton of work. I need to paint at least one room and the hallway, plus all the carpet. I don’t want to think about the rest of it. We go back to school so early this year, it just sucks. Anyway. So I’m gonna think about that later, and make sure there’s plenty of hikes and ceramics and quilting and whatever else makes me feel better. And be hopeful about the medical stuff because it’s really stressful to think otherwise. Plus read a ton of books. Sound like a plan? And go see the girlchild in San Francisco. All good.

Whoa Traffic

I’m writing this on a plane back home that I was about 50% sure I’d miss…traffic leaving Maine was hellacious. It took 4 hours instead of 2 and we risked a bathroom stop even knowing that might be why we missed the flight.

Spoiler: we didn’t miss the flight. Girlchild and Boston not-traffic saves the day. There’s girlchild taking some lake time. More lake time would’ve been nice. Ah well. Another week would have been nice too.

Animal friends included turkeys, a porcupine, Canadian geese, and a loon…and cute little racing chipmunks.

The smaller fam. There are bigger fam pix but I can’t deal with all of them right now. This is me, my parents, my daughter, my niece, and my brother. Pretty sure it only matters to those who know us. I’m proud of this kid for making it through and finishing up. She rocks…

There’s my kid again.

And the loon…although I feel like I have a better pic of it. Ah well. Trust.

I stitched during baccalaureate, graduation, and part of the family bits. Too tired to draw all trip, unfortunately. Something about having to get up at 4 AM my time multiple mornings in a row. I’ve actually almost finished this block now…

I started that tree at baccalaureate and did not finish until last night. Three hours? But meditative and calming.

House from the lake. We had 11 people and at least 4 snorers, so there was some movement at night to manage sleeping.

Girlchild and her cousin…five years minus two days apart. Missed the boychild on this trip…

Anyway. We’ll be home soon enough. Still tired. Man that doesn’t end. Tomorrow I have a dental appointment and I need to make a Costco run for eggs for the egg drop. Thank goodness for a fam that’s fun to hang with, and whom we love even when we’re all irritated at each other. Now I need some more caffeine…and a nap.

By the Side of a Lake

So. I’m not in Southern California. I spent a million hours yesterday traveling with my parents and then my daughter 3,114.6 miles to the side of a lake in Maine, near where my niece is graduating from college. My dad broke an airplane seat on the way, we met the girlchild’s sweet guy, ate dinner in Boston, and drove through two states to get to this cabin (cabin???) by a lake, where I’m sitting right now. Staring out at the water and the trees and trying to remember how to relax. Really, my brain is gonna make me go finish inputting grades. It’s OK. It has to happen sometime and I’ve had some good relaxation time so far.

Here’s a weird jellyfish glass/metal sculpture in the Boston airport.

There was nothing good to photograph on the plane. I spent a goodly amount of time grading stuff. Pro: it’s done. Other Pro: Alaska Airlines realized their internet crapped out multiple times (I started reactively saving the doc every 3 minutes at some point) and refunded me the $8 I paid to get my job done. Con: Well, work. I did finish my book yesterday, so I’m not feeling too bad. I even napped. Barely.

Weird fact: My brother and I are currently reading the same book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Not a planned thing. Just happened. Weird, huh? We are both liking it.

Here’s one view of the lake. It was more polleny this afternoon. We have two, technically three docks and some boat-type things.

We didn’t get here until 11:30 PM last night…long day. So far, my brother, my SIL, the two nephews, my parents, and my daughter are here. The boychild is working this weekend, so no go. The niece is the graduator. My SIL’s parents come in tonight. Full house. Only two bathrooms.

The parents wanted to go to LL Bean today, so we did.

Girlchild was excited about the giant boot.

I was excited about the sale on Camelbak packs…got a small one to replace my 22-year-old short hike pack. This one has sharks on it and is even smaller, better pockets than the old one. I’ve been looking for a while…mine has holes and wear in the straps. Plus it was on sale. Always nice.

We made it back and I tried out one of the kayaks.

Wind took my hat at one point, but I rescued it. I’ll go back out a few more times. Kinda windy, kinda wobbly, but a nice form of exercise.

Lots of people sleeping this afternoon. Girlchild is cooking dinner for me and the parentals tonight as the rest are out with my niece’s friends…

I’ve been reading a bit. Gonna think about a walk, then input those grades from the plane, and then maybe draw or stitch. My brain, body, and blood sugar are all off from travel and time change. But it’s nice to be away from stressful things, even if it’s stressful getting here. So many pine trees…