Team Teaching

I have been helping to home teach my two neighbor girls. Their mother teaches when she is not working, and I teach them when she is working. We have worked out a new schedule. I will be team teaching with another lady. I will teach on Monday and Friday. That will give me free time to do other things, or just do nothing. I like the idea very much. I love to be with the girls, and I sometime love to do nothing.

Things that go bump in the night

Tuesday, after going to bed I heard a very loud crash. I thought Ms Kitty had knocked my water bottle off of the night stand. Wednesday morning I was shocked to find my pedestal writing desk and my lap top on the floor. She often walks on it but this time it was not positioned to hold her weight. It is working alright and Ms kitty is sorry.

Writting asignment #6

A DAY AT THE RODEO
“Susan, grab your lunch and let’s eat at this table,” yells Sarah across the lunch room. Setting down she asks, “I’m riding in the rodeo Saturday would you like to come too?”
“Oh, yes. I didn’t know girls could ride in a rodeo.”
“I’m riding the barrels. It’s a girl thing and lots of fun. We’ll pick you up at 8:00 am Saturday.”
At the rodeo grounds flags are flying and the smell of barbecue and caramel corn filled the air. Cowboys are herding the bulls and horses into the pens.
“Look,” said Susan, “The riders are all wearing big hats and boots with spurs, just like in the movies. Only in the movies they wear guns too.”
“Come on, said Sarah “I’ll show you the horse I ride. She is a palomino. Her name is Spinner, because she can circle the barrels so fast.”
“She is so big, aren’t you afraid?” asked Susan.
“No, she is gentile and I have had lessons to learn to ride.” answered Sarah.
The loud speaker booms out “To start this day of thrills and excitement we have the ladies barrel riding. First up is Sarah on Spinner.”
With mane flying and hooves pounding Sarah crosses the timer’s line and enters the arena. Moving like a leaf in a whirlwind she turns left and rounds the first barrel, crossing the arena in a figure eight, and turning right, she circles the second barrel. Susan catches her breath as Spinner bumps the barrel, it rocks and remains upright. She is a blur as she crosses to the third and last barrel. Circling left and then leaning close to Spinner’s neck she crosses the finish line in a cloud of dust. As the announcer calls out her time she says, “That was my best time ever, maybe I’ll win a ribbon.”
“Susan, would you like to learn to ride in the rodeo?” asks Sarah.
“Oh, yes, but my parents can’t afford to pay for it.”
“We can collect bottles and cans at the rodeo and sell them to buy your cowgirl cloths and boots. There will also be an entry fee. The trash barrels are always full of things to recycle. Maybe we can help out at the barn to pay for the lessons. “
“I would love to do that,” replies Susan “come on let’s start collecting now.”
“Okay, we can talk to the boss, Mr. Tex, after the rodeo.”
“Our bag is almost full of bottles already,” exclaims Susan.
“Hey! What are you doing?” shouts and angry boy. “I collect all the bottles and cans here and you can’t have them!” Pushing Sarah down he grabs the sack of bottles. Susan jumps on his back, and grabbing a hand full of hair, pulls his head back. Sarah leaps to her feet and kicks his shin hard with her cowboy boot. He drops the sack and falls to the ground sobbing.
“There are enough bottles for us all.” said Sarah. “You stay on the other side of the arena and we will collect on this side.”
“Okay,” agrees the boy, “still sobbing and rubbing his aching leg.”
After the rodeo the girls find Mr. Tex and ask to trade work for riding lessons. “Are you willing to muck out the barns and feed the horses?” asks Mr. Tex.
“Oh, yes!” answers both girls.
Grabbing a shovel and laughing Sarah says, “Come on Susan get a shovel and I’ll show you how to harvest road apples.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Tex, “It looks like you know how to do the job. I will pay you with riding lessons and the use of my horses in completion. You may practice after work.”
“Ma, Ma,” shouts Susan, as she entered the house. “I have a job and can earn my riding lessons. I am going to learn to ride the barrels like Sarah does. Is that okay? Please, please say yes!”
“Well,” said mother, slow down, tell me about it.”
Susan bubbles over with excitement as she shares the events of the day.
“That sounds like a good plan,” said mother. I’m happy that you have a good friend like Sarah and that she is so much fun.”

A Good Week

Thursday as part of the school day we ground wheat in to flour and Friday we made butter by shaking cream in a jar. The domino games are getting better and Charlotte(8 years old) can keep score if we watch her carefully. She sometime get confused. We have covered all subjects for the last two days. It took a while to get on schedule.

I went to Tom's Farm in Corona(an out door market) for lunch with the Red Hat today. I got a hair cut Wednesday, the gardener did the yard Thursday and Sharon cleaned house today. Its been a good week.

After I got home Sarah and Charlotte brought me a donut. Michele (mother)came later to say she wasn't going to the gym tonight. I'm too tired to go so I was happy to hear that. She said she would send me diner. It just arrived so bye for now.

Ms Kitty's Nap

My phone is working again, it was unplug! Sharon cleaned Saturday and didn't push the plug in firmly.

Ms Kitty took her nap between the sheets this afternoon. The bed was made and she started at the side and climbed in between the sheets. Sarha found a lump (Ms Kitty) in the bed and saw it was breathing.

I went to the gym with the Watson family at 7:00 pm. It was very nice and not crowed. The girls swim while Michele and I work out. I commented it was better for me than going out to eat. She said we do that too.

Electricity is Wonderful

My phone is still out and yesterday the electricity was off from 9 to 5. The Watson girls came for school and we discovered several things you can't do with out power. Among them, the igniters on the stove don't work. I showed the kids how to light the stove with a match, like we did in the old days.

We played domino's and called it math. They loved it.

I got two new missionaries yesterday for a total of four. There has only been two for a few weeks.

Stranger, my outside cat, has a new trick. He comes to the open screen door and tells me he wants lunch. I usually feed him morning and evening.

I'm Sorry Telemarketers

When I was eleven years old in order to use the phone we crossed the driveway and used my grandparents phone. You talked to the operator. It was a black box that hung on the wall. The ear piece was on a long wire. If you got a crank call you could hold the ear piece to the mouth piece and it would give out with a loud electronic squeal. A few years later we had a phone in our house. It sat on a table and mouth piece and ear piece were in one piece. It had a rotatory dial. Later our phone had a push button dial.

Since almost everyone now have cell phones I have been wondering why I need a house phone. That question was answered today. My house phone went out and I used my cell phone to report the outage! It should be back on tomorrow at
11:30 am. I wonder if I will get a reduction on my bill. Yes I'm kidding!

About Mayonnaise

It turns to a thin soup after it has been frozen.

Saturday night my Mexican neighbors had a big party. It was a family affair with children and not a drunken party. The only objection I have is I that don't like loud music. Sunday about 5:00 pm I saw a seven piece Mexican mariachi band going next door. I thought I was in for an other loud party. A short time later they returned to their cars and left. I can only guess they were arriving a day late. I feel like a very lucky neighbor.

Mayonnaise DOESN'T freeze well

I got home from a two week visit with the Belnaps in Utah on Tuesday. On Wednesday I took Paige and Isaac out for breakfast,and they went home. I got gas and bought groceries and rested the rest of the day. Today I awoke early and got up dressed and Ms Kitty and I spent the rest of the day knocked out in my chair! I only thought I was ready to get back to my usual schedule.

While I was gone the ice make on the refrigerator malfunctioned and flooded the kitchen. Sharon, my house sitter, turned off the water, cleaned up and unplug the frig. She transferred the food to the big freezer. We waited until Wednesday to plug the frig back in ,but it seems to be OK now. I didn't turn the water back on. I don't use much ice and it isn't a big loss.

The Watson family brought me home made chicken noodle soup and corn bread on Wednesday and chocolate chip cookies today. They said they will take me go out to eat on Friday or Saturday. I am blessed to have this good, loving family as my friends.