Family Trees

We found this picture of one of my husband's ancestors. It appeared in the local newspaper and the captions was, "Local Scientist discovers comet."

Storytime Chair

Here is the original storytime chair that I used at Ashland Elementary School. They were getting rid of them and replacing them with plastic stacking chairs. I got this one and refinished it. Perfect height for reading stories. Even with kids sitting on the floor they could easily see the pictures, and since my feet were flat on the floor, I could read for hours.

My favorite storytime story is about telling a story at Halloween. The library was darkened with blackout curtains and paper over the windows. The lights were out and the only light was a candle glowing from a ceramic jackolantern. The kids were in second grade and as contentious a group as I've ever had. They were whining and loud and obnoxious as usual but I wanted to tell a scary story. So I kept talking slower and softer until they finally had to shut up to hear me. They were creeping closer and closer to hear the words and some of them were resting their hands on my lap. I could see their eyes shinning by candle light and I was finally in control of this class for the first and only time that year. The story was "The Golden Arm." When I reached the final "Who has my golden arm?' I was in full scary voice and slowly building to a crescendo with the repetition of "Who has my golden arm?" Barely able to contain my laughter, I reached out and grabbed the nearest kid and shouted "You've got it!" They all screamed and jumped up. One of them ran out of the room and all the way down the hall. Some of them wanted to cry but didn't. One of them said, "You didn't scare me, Ms. Taylor. " Of course not!

The only other triumph of story telling was getting one kid to tear up during "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble." I hurried up and finished before he actually cried. He was a sweet little kid and I felt bad.

The glory days.

Weekend Update

Not too much new going on actually. I had my first day on the "new job" Friday. The previous Powerschool worker had her last day on Thursday. Friday was the end of the quarter, but she had almost everything set up before she left. I did have to add one new teacher to the roster and add his courses. We'll see how it works next week. I've also got to keep the school's website updated and I've alread found a broken link. We'll see if I can fix it tomorrow.

Saturday we went to Miles City to look at sofas. The one in our living room is looking a little shabby. Still comfortable and functional, but shabby. It's a handmedown from mom and dad and I had put a slipcover on it. Now the slip cover is getting ripped, so maybe sometime in the next year or so, we could update. Not in any hurry, mind you, just looking. I did find a chair that fit me perfectly though. It's hard to find one that fits my stubby legs and lets me reach the back of the chair and my feet reach the floor at the same time. I spent most of high school either slumped down in my chair so my feet would reach the floor or sitting up straight and letting my feet dangle. Maybe that's why I miss the elementary school so much. I always sat in one of the kids' chairs for story time. A chair that fits is truly rare. Now to search for a bowl of porridge that is neither too hot nor too cold and a bed that is neither too hard nor too soft.

PowerSchool Geek

Well, it's been an interesting week. I talked to a friend in the tech department on Monday and she told me that she'd resigned her position to take a job that had better benefits and was closer to home. I've worked with her over the past 8 years and she's taught me a lot about using our school's grade book/attendance program, PowerSchool. I've also learned a lot about how our computer network runs since I have a dozen computers in the library.

Anyway, a little later in the day, the head of the tech dept. is in the building and I say, "I hear that you are losing your sidekick." "Yeah," he says. "I'd think I'd like her job, " I say. Before the end of the day, he and his sidekick decide that I'm going to take over. She does a lot of other things, but her main job is setting up the grade book/attendance for each year and trouble shooting through out the year. I figured if I could do that from my computer in the library, I could at least do that part of her job. After all, she's got the whole year already set up. I'd be able to do some on the job training before I'd have to do anything next year. And she's just an email away if I start to get in over my head.

So to make a long story short (I can give you the long version in person if you really want to hear it) I started training to use the PowerSchool program on Friday and will continue to train until she leaves on Oct. 26.

Wish me luck. It is a beast of a program and if I make mistakes, it affects the whole district!

Is this a GOOD thing?

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JustSayHi - A Free Dating Website

Some Blogger

I must have exaggerated on my addiction to blogging quiz because it's been at least a week since my last blog. I do read them a lot though. Anyway, I had a beautiful weekend. It was a perfect autumn day.... if you like drizzly rain. We drove to Billings and met our son's girlfriend and her mother for a couple of pizzas before the big football game. His girlfriend and her mother went to the game (they lost :( , we went up to my dad's house and visited him and my youngest brother for a little while until the game was over. Family and friends, like I said a beautiful weekend.

Ouch!

65%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Fog

I had taken my camera to school one morning so that I could take pictures of the fall colors on my way. That morning there was heavy fog on the "flats." I stopped and took this picture. Then I edited it in Adobe Photo Shop which I had purchased to use for the photography class I signed up for. I never have liked the software that came with the camera so I'd been using Paint Shop Pro7 but it wasn't letting me download pictures from my camera, a Kodak EZ Share. I bought the new software and I like it so far.

The irony is that I dropped the photography class. I didn't have any time this week to take pictures and I realized that I really wasn't looking forward to taking any regardless of class assignments. Then I thought about it some more and I realized that I have an EZ camera for a

reason. I like setting the auto feature and just pushing the button and getting a picture out of it.

Only Slightly Dorky???

I'm willing to be that there is at least one person out there who can out NERD me !

Computers #@!%^*# - Part II

I just finished the worst afternoon I've had for years. All thanks to computers. Mind you I wouldn' t go back to cataloging and checking out books on 3x5 inch cards, but it was bad enough to make me wish I had the day off. Either that or I could cuss out loud without being over heard by me students. It's much better now. I fixed it before I left so I could enjoy the weekend without worrying about it.

It is a beautiful autumn day. Clear blue skies and trees showing traces of yellow in the leaves. I'm going to have to close the window before too long, the breeze is just a tad chilly.

Me TOO!

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Ready for Your Closeup?

I signed up for Intro to Photography today. It's being offered by a local tribal college but being taught in Ashland. The course description says we will be using digital cameras so I've already got my equipment. More than likely I'll be posting some of my successes to this blog, so be prepared!

We're Having a Heat Wave!

After a cool spell, we're back to 100 degree afternoons, tempered by 60 degree nights. I wasn't aware of the heat wave until I stepped out of my school Friday afternoon. My building is air conditioned and the library is generally cold enough to "hang meat." After hunting season starts I tell the maintence guy that if he gets his deer he can bring it into my library. This usually accompanies a request to adjust the thermostat, a request that usually results in either a laugh or a comment that "so and so's room is like a sauna and I shouldn't complain. " After this weekend I think I'll just bring a sweater.

The first week is over and I need to spend the holiday weekend planning lessons because, as they say in our business, "The honeymoon is over." Now we get to start the hard stuff. We ususally get a good number of students after Labor Day, but they won't get the honeymoon, just the hard stuff.

We are going to start a "rotating" schedule. Each week we will start the day with a different class period. Next week our first class will be the one labeled 2nd period and we will end with the one labeled 1st period. It should be interesting. I'm very insecure the first weeks of a new semester because I don't know the schedule very well. Now I will never know what's going on schedulewise without looking. It's either going to be fun or nervewracking. I'll let you know which in a few weeks.

Kelpie Core! Baltimore!

Wood type: apple Length: 13½ inches Core: Kelpie Hair get your own wand!

Back to School

We had our first day of school today and it was a great day. I have a good feeling that this year will be the year we finally get the school going in the right direction. I had been dreading the first day, but it turned out OK.

Blogger's Prayer?

I read this in a blog I regulary check out. He said it could (should) be the blogger's prayer. I agree. It's perfect. He said he found it at a blog that credited it to a 17th Century Nun. I guess people really haven't changed much.

Secular Franciscan Life. http://www.sfolife.net/

Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject & on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out every-body’s affairs.

Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest Lord that I want a few friends at the end. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.

Seal my lips on my aches & pains. They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other’s pains, but help me to endure them with patience.

I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility & a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a Saint-some of them are so hard to live with-but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, & talents in unexpected people. And, Give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.
Amen

First Day?

Yesterday felt like the first day of autumn. I know we're technically a month away from the "real" first day, but at the end of the day I found myself thinking, "This is what autumn feels like."

After clearing out his closet of clothes that no longer fit, my husband found that he needed a few items for "back to school clothes" and since our freezer was finally empty from all the food that sheltered in ice chests during the "great broken fridge" episode this summer, we took off for Miles City to do some selective shopping, the last payday having been in May and the next payday a week off. On our way to town we passed great sections of blackened grasslands that recent fires had left. The western part of our state is still burning, but here the fires have died down. I fear it may be the first day of winter before all the state's fires are gone.

We found all the necessities and in addition to what we needed, we found a new pencil box, a new lunch box and a "stapleless stapler," back to school shopping at its best. After filling up with gas, which BTW was $.32 less than in our town, and washing the car, we headed home. Since we'd been in air conditioned places all day, it was a bit of a shock to step out of the car at home and realize how hot it was. But by the time we got the car unpacked and everything put away, it was cooling down. The day ended with a slight thunderstorm accompanied by enough rain to wet everything down, but not enough to register. For the first time all summer, we fell asleep without the sound of the fan in the window and had to pull the blanket up over the sheet. The first sign of autumn's approach. Mind you, the second day of autumn may be in October, but I'm calling yesterday the first.

Where There's Smoke

Believe it or not that small dot over the trees is the sun coming up this morning. The smoke is so thick that you can't even see Cook Mountain between the trees in the topmost picture. Not complaining mind you, I'm not close enough to the fire to post pictures of flames. Many people in Montana aren't as lucky.

Let the Sunshine In

Who would think that such a little window would make such a big difference? It does.

Windows Are Your Eyes to the World

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