The Absentees

Everyone told me that newschool had a problem with attendance, but my peeps have been showing up everyday like clockwork. Until the past few weeks. Today I had 6 absentees. So that means I was teaching 14 kids. That just feels odd. I feel guilty not doing amazing things with this small group, but there's still a plethora of kicking, yelling out, throwing objects and growling. And roaring. Some of the growling and roaring I'm doing. But not all of it. Still, the last two days have had some fun to them and maybe we're turning a corner. Or just thinking about approaching the corner sometime in future. I hope my Austin trip doesn't set us too far back. When I return, I'm going to try to act a little kinder.

The TV

Patriots are winning and Husbandman has the temerity to tell me we don't root for the Patriots. Land of my birth?

The Ennui

Well, I'm not doing any work tonight, so let's just accept that tomorrow will be a living hell. I'm thinking about starting a wiki. Richard Beach talked about wikis at NCTE, so they're probably good.

The Tote

Tote is full of stuff that I need to work on. Bah. But on the good side, the day has been a good one. Relaxing. I'm trying to figure out how I can exercise more than I do now, which is not at all. There has to be a way.

The Trip

I've gotten my act together and ordered some gifties on line today. And I took out some holiday decor yesterday. I want to work on my sub plans today because I'm going to Texas on Wednesday. I've never been to Austin.

The Decor

It's always sad when the visiting ends and the rellies head off for distant lands. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to bring out some holiday decor this afternoon. Or read a book.

The Canopy

Last night we all gathered downtown for the canopy of lights to be turned on over the courthouse square. We sang a few carols and then walked over to the history museum to check out the exhibit on the history of fans. Our town has so much to offer. This morning we're off to the craft fair at the Showers Building. Teendaughter has broken out the holiday CD's. I'm filled with cheer.

The Kingfisher

When we walked at Lake Griffey, I did see a Kingfisher with my new binoculars. I also saw an eastern towhee in the yard this morning. New sighting for the backyard. So that's awesome. And No Country for Old Men is very good.

The Turkeys

The hand turkeys have been made. They're looking extra fine. Soon the pies will appear. The fun never stops. It just never stops.

The Wild

I'm reading Into the Wild. I like how Krakauer always backs up and describes connecting stories from the past. Well done, Krakauer.

The Day

There's some serious cooking going on over here. My favorite part of the meal is the stuffing, so I hope they're paying extra attention there. Plus, the mushroom souffle is going to be fantastico.