A Happy Day for more than Mothers

Today was a lovely day for me, and I'm not even one of the mothers being worshiped.

I texted my own mom several states away, expecting her to be asleep at midnight this morning. Instead she replied back, so I got the first "Happy Mother's Day" in. I arranged to have my dad get her daisies, her favorite flower, and some bubble bath so she could hopefully enjoy some time for herself. It won't be quite as wonderful as a bubble bath in that huge claw-foot tub growing up, but hopefully just as relaxing. Thank you, dad, for doing that for me.

My friend Tig is a mom, as well as several other females in her family, so we all met up at a local park to have a general celebration get-together. There was cake and ice cream, cards and flowers. Jamie and I rode our bikes with Tig from our house to the park, which was a very nice ride. Her daughter Marty loves the baby seat which has been recently attached. She doesn't object to it at all, where she used to have a very hard time being convinced that it was ok to be away from mom riding in the bike trailer behind me. 

Even blurry (my camera hated me very much today) this picture was too cute not to post.

Zoomie with Tig's bike, hanging out at the park.

After cake and ice cream and a game of Go for the boys, we decided to go to a different park to play frisbee golf. All three of us continued our bikey traveling. Marty took a short nap in her little chair. We got to the park much sooner than either of the other two vehicles, so we doubled back and rode in circles at the nearby high school track.

Not the most comfortable-looking way to sleep, but it sure beats the cranky baby alternative.

We had a great time playing frisbee golf and generally chit-chatting some more. One of the cars had been delayed because they decided that chips and cake do not a true meal make, and they stopped for fried chicken. I ate two legs- still my favorite pieces of the bird.

It didn't take long to decide that we'd had enough of parks, and so the family decided to go ahead with the next portion of the plan- dinner. We were still invited, but by this time Tig was ready to hang up her bike and ride in the car. Her frisbee golf game involved double movements as she kept retrieving Marty, or sometimes threw her disc with the handicap (a perfectly desirable one) of Marty perched on her hip. My water bottle got plenty of use as it was passed around for everyone, and it was refilled often from the bathroom faucets. Our water fountains have not been turned back on yet from winter shutoff. 

Jamie and I rode down the bike path to downtown. We decided to explore part of the path we've never been to- west of Walmart. Past Walmart it shortly ends into what looks like a dirt and gravel service road. There is another rail car fenced off, though not meant to be very visible, as it was in poor condition with plywood over the window-holes. We followed the roadway across those unused tracks all the way to the actual train yard. Then we turned right along the edge of the yard, and found an exit after going under the bride of the main roadway. 

Jamie's mountain bike with front and rear suspension really shined on this part of our ride, because he wasn't bothered at all by the rough terrain which made Zoomie really shake and rattle. However, I had no trouble keeping up, I was just vibrated more than he was.

We did a loop back around and crossed that bridge which we had just ridden under. The hill itself wasn't bad at all, but we discovered that Vandal had an improperly adjusted limit screw on his derailleur- his chain popped off a few times until we found out why. Going uphill isn't a particularly good time for the pedals to jerk and stop with weight behind them, and Jamie wasn't happy at all to have his newly-recovered ankle stressed like that. But finally we got back on our way, and downhill was really fast and fun without traffic to worry us. We got to the restaurant after everyone else, this time, but just barely. 

Thai Orchid is the name of the place we ate. Blue, Jamie's mom's boyfriend and our roommate, has declared that Thai tea is now his favorite drink, replacing chai latte, which we shared as favorite previously. I still prefer chai. I think Thai tea is simply tea with sweetened coconut milk added to it, but it is a very close rival to chai in deliciousness. We had several people drinking it and asking for refills, so we eventually earned the right to a whole carafe of it!

Everyone ordered something different, and we passed around plates full of all kinds of delicious foods. There was Pad Thai, of course, plus a noodley stir fry, a green curry dish, a clay pot with rice and meats, a creamy delicious soup, something with eggplant, another dish with ginger (don't eat the ginger stalks, they will "punch you in the face"), beef and brocoli, and some others I'm sure I'm forgetting. Everyone had something they liked. After we were pretty well stuffed, the waiter brought out fresh watermelon, which was the perfect ending in my opinion. All the food felt really healthy to eat, being all meat and vegetables. I'm not sure if it truly was, and drinking that tea wasn't a healthy choice, but I wasn't concerned about that at all. I felt really really good.

(I had to get pictures of the flowers for you, Rayv.)

While Tig and her family departed to continue their festivities with her mom's favorite movie watched back at home, Jamie and I coasted over to the game store near the restaurant. Jamie got some more Magic cards, and then we pedaled back home. Our puppies were very happy to see us.

Pause to Catch a Breath. No? Never Mind Then

Since my post last Monday, it seems like I've been very busy. My mom's birthday was on May first (Happy Birthday again!). I'm not entirely certain what happened to the rest of the week. Let's see...

I had a field trip on Thursday, and then Friday there was no school due to the end of the grading period. I believe I was extremely happy to have that field trip, because I needed a substitute to cover my elementary run due to time overlap. This meant that I did not have to deal with those younger kids. With the end of school nearing, it seems like all I'm doing is talking to the microphone telling kids to sit properly and not play so rough. One student in particular has been really aggravating. He is a sullen boy with an attitude. I don't think he is ever happy, and despite my efforts to cheer him up or make conversation as he enters and exits the bus, he hasn't changed.
Recently we flip-flopped the seating chart. Originally I had seats assigned based on bus stop, with the kids getting off the bus in the afternoon from back to front. Now they get on the bus in the morning and take the first available seat, and in the afternoon I have a bus emptying out front to back. This new arrangement puts most of the older kids towards the rear of the bus, where they very much feel they have the right to be. Well, this older Sullen picks on a younger student whose stop is right before his. So, the chart was fudged slightly to give them a seat-worth of separation. When I flopped the seats, I fudged it slightly more to give FOUR seats of separation. This younger student is incredibly outgoing. So, the Sullen chose a new target to bully. I received a report of this, and had him sit in the first seat up front to my right. He threatened to cause trouble the entire ride home that day, and we nearly stopped before leaving the school to talk to the principal. My threat worked, and he promised not to cause mischief. He was true to that until Target2 went to get off, where I saw Sullen subtly stick out a foot in an attempt to trip the other boy. This made me incredibly livid, but I said absolutely nothing at all.
Monday morning I arranged to have the principal meet my bus shortly after we arrived and everyone else was dismissed. Sullen had no warning whatsoever, and I explained the situation to the principal. Earlier that year I had written a referral on one of my other students, and had been requested to allow the principal to talk to students personally before bus referrals were used. The arrangement actually worked pretty well- the threat of the principal was enough to keep everyone mostly in line. Sullen had been acting inappropriately for quite some time now, but nothing in itself was consistent or disruptive enough cause for me to justify disciplinary action. This time it was, and I've had it.

Still, I was glad not to have to deal with Sullen on Thursday.

Saturday was our normal game day, and also Tig's birthday (Yay!). I made special strawberry-poppyseed cupcakes for her. I was told that was her favorite cake, and I just happened to have received a cupcake recipe book from a coworker. Perfect!

Jamie made delicious cream cheese and strawberry frosting, because the store-bought icing tasted funny. His mom cut the strawberries into little heart shapes for the top, just like I wanted!

We love you Tig <3

The boys, not to be outdone, decided to make a cake too. They didn't use a recipe. Both have worked in kitchens pretty extensively, so they know the basic ingredients for a cake. 

"We need flour." 

"How much?"

"'Bout that much."

They made a yellow cake with pineapple, like an upside-down cake. The cream cheese frosting for this creation had green apple soda in it. They drizzled honey on top and sprinkled it with brown sugar.

They named it the Bro-Cake.

It too, was delicious.

Jamie's mom fulfilled his special request and made quiche as well. We had a busy kitchen, that's for sure. Quiche is apparently a scrambled egg pie. One had mushrooms and vidalia onions, and the other, which looked much tastier to me, had spinach and bacon.

I found out that I don't care for quiche, but everyone else agrees that they were fantastic.

Mike created our special birthday dinner. He remade a dish that we had tried out just the night before, I think. He took meat, cream cheese, and spinach and stuffed them into a delicious browned puffy pastry- the whole thing is called a roulade. I ate too much and forgot to take picture of this one, sorry!

Then, Sunday was Tig's birthday, round two. We visited her parents for their chance to celebrate with her. They grilled meat and vegetables, baked potatoes, and Val made a cobbler-type desert from crumbled M&M cookies, strawberries and mixed berries, and whipped topping. It was surprisingly good, and my tummy was very full after all that potato and french bread. While waiting for dinner, we played Frisbee golf in the horse pasture. Jamie almost bounced his Frisbee into the bag, which was our ending goalpost. He also spent the day cleaning a grill which we have now been loaned. Hooray for future delicious dinners!

Yesterday started out as a normal day, except that I had sloshed around and then didn't have time to cook eggs for breakfast. I ran out with a glass of milk in my stomach, and a small container of carrots to use as a snack until after my route, when I would go home and eat properly. 

Instead, I was called over the radio and asked if I could substitute for a field trip. Of course I can! Field trips  pay a much higher rate, for a guaranteed minimum of 2 hours. So, I took students from the elementary school I service to a community swimming pool. This pool is heated geothermally, so it is available to use even in winter, I hear. I nibbled my carrots, then after 2 hours (I practiced French braiding), took them back. I promptly cycled to Subway and ordered a BLT with spinach instead of lettuce. I ate the entire foot-long sandwich, sitting leisurely in the sunshine and enjoying life. Then I went straight back to work, it was time for the afternoon run.

Today, I loaded up all our dirty laundry and pushed my bike trailer/stroller to the laundromat. It took a while, but I brought my book this time. Then I got back and patched the hole in the air mattress that we had spent an hour searching for before Jamie had left for class. I am out one more bicycle patch, but now our bed doesn't sag after a couple hours and put us on the floor.

When I got home from work, Jamie and I went with Tig and his mom to the locally-owned Home Depot equivalent to purchase supplies to make the separation between our backyard and our neighbors (another section of the same property) truly private. We added large flat fence slats to the metal gate, and rebuilt the side gate while we were at it. 

Once we were done with the gate, it got left open while we were distracted closing up the last small hole in the puppy-containment perimeter of our back yard. Jackjack decided to take himself for a walk, since I never take him to work with me like he wants me to. We searched frantically for what was probably only a few minutes, but seemed like eternity. I hopped on Zoomie with Jackjack's harness and pedaled down our street. Several people were outside, and they reported not seeing him. I turned down the dirt road behind our row of houses when I got the call to let me know he had been found. 

Jackjack had headed straight for the busy road, walked the wrong way down the bike lane next to traffic to the next block over, and sat at someone else's house and whined at their screen door. They let him in, took a picture of him, and a boy of about twelve had been wandering about asking if people lost a dog that looked like this? Jackjack is very unique- he has a cauliflower ear, stinky dragon breath, and nearly no hearing (makes finding him rather difficult "Jackjack, come here Jackjack!" oh yeah...). Jamie carried him home, where he got lots of hugs.

And, to top all this off, my term for jury duty started this week, and I just found out that I need to be at the courthouse tomorrow at 8am. I had been hoping for a regular slow day to catch my breath, so to speak. At least I get to sleep in.

Zoomie has a never-ending squeaky coming from her drive-train somewhere. I've wasted half a bottle of chain lube on every part I can think of to no use- something still relentlessly makes noise. Also, there is a very ominous clunking from her bottom bracket. Forum replies to my inquiry lead me to believe it could be a symptom of something catastrophic. I hope its just a loose pedal or the chain shifting in the chainwheel teeth?

And finally, my french braiding seems to be getting better.

My first try. I was bored, and this is with damp hair.

A second try. French braided pigtails, worn on Sunday.

Practiced while waiting at the pool during Monday's field trip.

Looks almost right. I'm getting better! 

French braiding requires a completely different method of holding the hair in my hands than the way I taught myself to braid regularly.

And that is my past week, in a very large, long and complicated nutshell. I did try to condense.

How hectic or calm is YOUR life right now?

Laundromat!

Today was laundry day because yesterday we got a free couch from Tig's parents, who got a free couch from her friend. So, today I went to the laundromat. I hope you feel better Tig!

I didn't ride my bike because the laundromat is very close to home. Instead, I pushed the Instep trailer like a stroller, which is exactly why I bought the kit. It walks very easily, and while I touched my toes to it occasionally, I was never in danger of kicking the thing while I walked. The handlebar is just the right height for me too.

Blue's cat Isis thought it was a nifty way to do laundry too.

Happy Monday!

Flowers, and a Guest

A very friendly momma kitty who has shown up.

Haven't seen her kittens, if they are nearby, or under our house.

Have Trailer, will Haul

After yesterday's awesome day, I thought today being a workday would turn out comparatively boring. Not so!

I decided to wear a dress, firstly. I was too chicken to attempt the chill morning air with bare legs, so I wore my sweatery tights underneath. I don't have any dressy shoes which are not strappy sandals, so I was presented with another obstacle. A bus driver is usually required to wear shoes with covered toes and heels- no sandals, flip-flops, clogs or the like. I'm assuming the rule is to prevent shoes coming loose and interfering with the pedals, or perhaps to not impede movement during an emergency- when it would really not be a good idea to have to worry about your shoes coming off. So, I decided to wear my boots. They are brown and don't match, but I guess in the photo it doesn't look so odd as it seems when I'm looking down at my feet.

Good morning!

On the way home, I decided it was too warm for the tights. I swapped them for bike shorts, which I had planned to do. I wasn't thrilled with the way the skirt caught on them, so I decided that I didn't need anything to protect my modesty if I was wearing black underwear. It turns out that with only my skin to touch, the skirt behaved very well and didn't ride up embarrassingly at all. Yay!

For cooler shoes, I decided that water shoes were fine, even if they did have pink on them instead of red. Oh well.

Our car decided not to move at all this morning. I got back after an easy field trip as Jamie was trying to leave. He had decided to go to class early in case the car acted up- remember I mentioned the transmission being flaky? Well, the car was not in the mood to back out of the driveway at all, much less go to school. I ran to get my old backpack out of the closet while he got his folders out of the car, then while he was changing clothes I stuffed a water bottle in a pocket, rushed out to the garage, hooked up the air compressor and aired both the tires on Chainless. Then I watched somewhat nervously as he pedaled off. He did not have his brace on, and remember he just sprained his ankle a week ago.

He made it to school just fine, or so said his text message. He also asked me to stop by our friend's house to pick up the lawn mower after work. 

So, I finished organizing the closet (no one told us that the Beagle is a nesting creature! he ruins any nice pile of folded clothing if he can get to it). I squeezed the trailer through the gap between car and wall, loaded up the bag of Goodwill items, then all the recycling on top of that. I pedaled to the Thunderbird grocery store and did all the recycling for $6.25. Three bags were unacceptable because they are a funky energy drink that came from Grocery Outlet. The stores with recycling centers only give deposits back for the brands they sell. Oh well. 

Trailer now empty, I folded it and continued on to work to take the field trip kids back to school and drive my regular kids home. They behaved very well today too. The it was off to Tig's house to collect the mower.

It fits!!

Had to twist it a teensy bit to get the bulbous blade housing past the bars, but it settled in just perfectly.

Whee! 

Off we go.

I have determined that I absolutely must get a more stable kickstand if I want to keep doing fun wacky stuff like this (I do). The Pletscher Double Leg Kickstand is what I think I want. It folds up just like a regular kickstand! My bike fell over several times even with the trailer brake on.

Also, Jamie reported that his ankle hurt going to the school, but coming back home it was fine. Mostly the seat is what bothered him. I believe we have a leisurely stroll to Fred Meyer planned, perhaps we will pick up a cushier seat like he used to own.

Yay for a day of accomplishments! 

Congratulations baby on your first commute! 

Yay Mike for commuting by bike! 

Yay Blue for walking (he rode his bike to work before any of us, and over an inter-coastal waterway bridge, even!)!

And RAWR for my hauling laundry, a dog, a child, recycling, clothing donations, and a lawn mower in two days!!

I win.