Updates

School went really well. By the time school ended the kids and I were all working together (not that there were more that 2 or 3 who didn't want to work with me).  We had a great time and I think there might even have been some learning going on.

On the knitting front, I ripped back dream in lace and think that yarn will make a great Icarus!! With beads!! I knit Grandma Helen's Lace shawl during test time at school.  It has a great stockinette center that is totally mindless knitting. Then I had two weeks or so of lace knitting to make the transition to summer vacation. Now I am working on Socks for Seniors (socks for the Seniors who were the most help to me, or showed a really great attitude) and that overdue Aran sweater.  I've also gone back to the niece wedding quilt and rethought the pattern.  I started one five or so years ago (well, maybe seven?) and I don't like the colors.  Sooo, I started a new quilt with beautiful autumn leaves scattered over it.  Should be pretty. Today I cut the background!!

On other fronts: I think I may have mostly recovered from the medicine mix up last year.  I have been working away in the garden and have about half of it back to pre-depression levels.  So far this summer has been on the cool side (with a few digressions to the second or third level of heat) so I am more willing to go our and dig.The Husband says I seem a lot more like normal (for me anyway).  Seems as though I have more energy and am far less likely to cry at the drop of a snide remark.

That being said, for the first time since, oh, last, um, December (?) I am ready to sit down and cry me a river.  I just got a call from the Sunday School principal and she (and the Rabbi) had a meeting and decided that I shouldn't be teaching the 2nd graders. I have taught 2nd grade for something like 20 of the last 25 years.  I have said several time that I really only like to teach 2nd or 3rd grade because those are my best set of lesson plans and the kids and I have a blast. The older kids are OK, but they are, by and large, not really interested in being at Sunday School and they are more work than fun. The reasoning from the loyal opposition is that there are only three students in 2nd grade so they should let the third grade teacher teach 2nd and 3rd and I can teach the 4th-5th class or the 8th grade. I'm thinking retirement sounds good. A little background: last April the local Rabbi told me it would "not be appropriate" for me to serve a Passover tea after services on the seventh day of Passover, because "we are Reform". Regardless of the fact that I have done this for the last 12 years and it's our Temple's tradition. Is it paranoid to think that the Rabbi has some agenda? My official bio on the web site (oh, yeah, I've been the secretary of the Temple board of trustees for the last 10 (?) years) says "I cook, I sew, and I teach small children." So far, Rabbi has  told me not to cook, and not to teach small children. Can sewing be far behind? It's starting to feel like I should cut my losses and find a new social network.. Rats. Thanks for listening. Now I know what I have to do.  If I can't teach the grade level I'm really good at, and more importantly find fun, I quit. I'd like to say no hard feelings, but I'm not that developed yet. Looks like I'll have some more free time this winter and it won't go to the Temple.