Change In Store

Yesterday was a red letter day. I packed up my speech therapy materials, took my

TRANSFERRING
TO ANOTHER
SCHOOL

files to the district office, and handed in my resignation letter. Yes, for a variety of reasons I'm changing school districts next year.

One thing I will sincerely miss are the people I worked with at the preschool. I've made some great friends who I'll continue to see. There were also coworkers who were quite simply kind, gentle, conscientious educators. The people you work with can make all the difference in your enjoyment of work. I was fortunate.

Hugs and tears good-byes and then out to my car which is loaded down like the Beverly Hillbillies' jalopy. Wait -- what's that? One of those pesky district file notes my coworkers thought it would be funny to stick on my windshield? hmmm, it's the one labeled:

MOVED
OUT OF
DISTRICT

And so I have. Onward and upward.

Memorial Day

We had a beautiful Memorial Day, starting with a symphony concert on the lawn of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Above is one of the main buildings, with flags from many nations. The symphony set up to entertain...People assembled on steps, lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music, have a picnic, buy a hot dog or ice cream bar, and pay their respects to our Vets. It is always moving when they play the Armed Forces medley and the Vets stand up when they hear their branch's song. The audience applauds in admiration and appreciation for what they have done for our country.

At one time the NPGS was the Hotel Del Monte, complete with swimming pavilion, a lake, a golf course, tennis courts, even a race track!
The sign below states that "in it's prime, Hotel Del Monte was a 20,000 acre resort that offered athletic and scenic diversions for American presidents, world leaders, famous artists and writers, film stars and other notables." Entering the lobby...
The Lone Cypress, beloved symbol of Pebble Beach...

I love the columns, balconies and Spanish architecture.This interesting painting depicts some of the history of the Monterey Bay:

Walking up to the Ball Room...The Rose Garden is lovely...


Coming upon a peacock was a surprise.
After a few squawks, he showed off his feathers...

Although not as colorful, nature's design is as intricate in the back as the front. He was really showing off at this point -- walking in circles for all to admire from every angle!
After the concert we went to the cemetery where my late husband is buried. Peace washes over me here. There is something about the big trees, the ocean views, the historical grave sites, the uniqueness of the cemetery itself that makes me feel a bond to the earth and those who have passed on here.
The lane through the Veteran's side of the cemetery was lined with majestic flags.

This is our drive home along the Pacific Ocean.
As evening fell, the clouds quickly moved in. The picture above and the one below were taken within ten minutes of each other.

Getting to the Bottom of Things

This weekend I'm tackling the cleaning of my "studio". It's actually been called a sundry of names including the bonus room, storage area, home office and upstairs family room, but treated as indignantly as "the catch all room." My goal is to completely empty the room and its adjoining storage closet of all boxes, bags and extra-items-in-case-we-might-need-them items. Then rearrange the furniture and create a studio for myself. My crafts include writing and photography and all associated tasks -- journals, cards, scrapbooks, colorful pens and papers....

Yes, the small TV will stay so I can catch up on news or become inspired by watching some shows. The office desk and computer will stay where I can look out the front window while I work, watching the tree boughs gently bend in the evening breeze. The bookcases with their family albums and videos will continue to stand guard over our family history.

But I can do without the boxes of clothes and toys and various other odds and ends that still need sorted through. I started this project awhile back, but you know how it goes. Armed with a bucket of Murphy's Wood Soap suds and a couple of trash bags, I've been able to condense 3-4 more boxes today and completely clear out the bookcases so they look and smell fresh and clean again.

My big find of the day helped my daughter -- it was her old backpack from Cambridge, England days with a wallet containing $90! She was thrilled with that find! And, no, I was nice and didn't play "finder's keepers, loser's weepers."

Move It, Move It

Summer is here -- the perfect time to devote to getting back into routines of eating healthier and exercising more. So I joined a gym today!

Ash had to have some tests at the hospital again so afterward we went out to breakfast in Carmel. We shared our dishes with one another -- an apple waffle, a cheese omelet -- she savored the potatoes, I passed on the whole wheat toast. Lovely brunch!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day here in the Monterey Bay!

Put Your Lips Together...

...now say MMMMMM. Yesterday was the last day of speech therapy for a little five year old boy I have worked with for the past two years. He has apraxia and saying his speech sounds is a challenge for him. He is very sweet and a lot of fun, and his mom is so supportive. I will really miss them, but they are moving. So in good-bye they presented me with a pink gift bag. His mom warned me that "little boy" picked out one of the gifts entirely by himself. I peaked inside: a tube of bright red lipstick! What a kick! To his five year old eyes and after two years of hearing me say, "Watch my mouth," I guess a tube of Royal Red lipstick would be what he associates with me! The staff had great fun teasing me about being perceived as "lips". Also included in the gift bag were a My Little Pony ribbon and then Mom's choice -- a generous gift card to Target. Who can't find something to buy at Target?

The best gift of all was the beautiful thank you letter they wrote, talking about how much they appreciate what I've done for "little boy," the care I show to others, and so forth. We cried and hugged when they left. Sometimes work is hard. Unfortunately we have evolved into a society of complainers, and in special education we get more than our fair share of picky parents. I wish they would realize how hard we work, how conscientious we are about helping their children, how little we are acknowledged for all that we do right. A thank you note goes such a long way in keeping us going in a positive, productive manner to help their children.

Knowing I made a difference for even one child, one family, makes it all worthwhile.

Mother's Day in San Francisco

Mother's Day is such a nice holiday. My own mother deserved a day to be treated well, shown how much she was appreciated and loved, pampered a bit. I miss her. My sisters and I always call to wish each other a Happy Mother's Day. We know how hard the job of being a mother is and just want to acknowledge that in one another. My dad even wishes us a Happy Mother's Day.

This year Ash, Lys and I went up to San Francisco for the day.
It was windy all day, drizzling in the morning but sunnier in the afternoon. Those clouds were moving fast!

Our main ojbective was to start apartment hunting for when they move there this fall. We're glad we got an early start as it will take awhile to narrow down neighborhoods and convenience factors.

Alcatraz Island:We found a couple of apartment possibilities and then went up to Pier 39 whre the girls treated me to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. They are great daughters and I am so blessed to have them in my life.

Love this big poster of Santana in the cafe shop. A couple of years ago I went to a Santana concert with a friend. It was fantastic and his music is timeless.

If you want to hear a bit of Santana, push the pause button on the playlist on the right menu bar, then come back here and push play:

Pier 39:

We were home in time to catch "The Amazing Race" which happened to culminate in San Francisco so it was fun to watch (though I was rooting for the cowboys who came in 2nd place).

It was a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope other moms were able to spend the day with their dear ones as well.

The Artist's Way

A cozy bookstore tucked away on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove changed how I look at creativity. It was there, shortly after moving to the Monterey Peninsula, that I discovered the book "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. I still have the bookmark with a quote by poet Walt Whitman that the store clerk slid into the book as he handed it to me.



Morning pages still beckon to me daily -- for awhile. Then I give them up, only to return time and again. I can sense summer coming. My crazy school year where I work is wrapping up this month and I'll soon feel the leisurely pace of sitting on the deck in my bathrobe, no place to go, just living in the moment. My mind is already bending that way, urging me to pick up "The Artist's Way" and explore creativity again.

Maybe for my next "artist's date" I'll go back to that bookstore and poke around, have a croissant and a cup of cocoa, and take my journal along for the ride. Click here to take a peek at what awaits me:

The Works (formerly Bookworks)