A Day in Alaska

We arrived in Alaska on Saturday, the night before Easter. As we drove to the downtown hotel in Anchorage, I was surprised to see similar sights to Michigan where my husband grew up. I was also surprised to see bare ground where one would still expect to see snow. The temperature was milder than our city here. We attended Easter church services at a Christian Church in the city of Anchorage. We both felt like we were in our own church with the same songs, same order of service, etc. Only downfall was that no one spoke to us. Guess that is much like our churches here in the states. We drove just 40 miles south of Anchorage to the Alyeska Resort to eat lunch. We were impressed with the resort at the base of the 4,000 foot mountain. They had definitely received more snow than in Anchorage. As we ate lunch in the resort, we were in a position to view some of the ski lifts and some of the skiers coming down the mountain. It was so surreal to come just 40 miles and be in a different climate. By looking at the crowd at the resort, we were definitely out of our league. After lunch, we headed further south to investigate for the day. We hadn't gone 5 miles when it began snowing--a lot! In just a few minutes, the road was covered with snow. We decided that it wasn't worth traveling along the coast with signs posted to beware of possible avalanches and heavy snow coming down. So we turned around and headed back to Anchorage. The areas where avalanches have fallen post a 10 mph FASTER speed limit to get you through the area. And the city of Seward where we were headed had received 4 feet of snow a few days earlier. We didn't travel 3,500 miles to be caught in a snow storm. We returned to our hotel to catch up on some sleep since we were suffering from a four-hour time change. We also spent more time plotting our agenda for the coming days. Although everything seems within reach on a map, it's not!

Alaska Makes 50

What a trip! In five days we traveled over 7,000 miles as we did a whirlwind trip of Alaska. Now I can proudly say that I have visited all 50 states! (It has only taken me 35 years to go from 49 to 50.) If you know anything about Alaska, you know that it is HUGE. It is twice the size of Texas and 1/5 the size of the rest of the USA. Alaska is the northern-most, western-most and eastern-most state. Huh? Yes, the Aluetian Chain crosses the 180th meridian, putting the islands in the Eastern Hemisphere. Stay tuned for more tidbits of valuable information I have to share with you in the coming weeks.

Feet Shod with Appropriate Gear

Yesterday we had to shop for waterproof boots to wear on part of our trip in Alaska. I not much on wearing boots of any kind, but hubby thought shopping here would be easier than up there since we don't know where the shops will be, etc. We went to a large sporting-goods store near where we live. There were many from which to choose. I narrowed it down to two different brands. Unfortunately, the ones that fit the best also looked like I gathered discarded animal hair and glued to the the tops of the boots. Now I don't really care whether I am stylish or not, I just hope that when I open my suitcase in Alaska that the fur remains on the boots and not all over my clothing. Oh, well, at least my feet will remain dry and warm. Maybe I should pack a bottle of glue just in case.

Spring Break and a Wedding

It has been a busy week and not much time to blog. But since I am on Spring Break, I have time this morning. Counting the weekends, my break is 10 days long!!! I can hardly wait to do some of the things I don't usually get to do or don't feel I have time for. And Hubby and I are flying out Sat. for Anchorage, Alaska, as a 35th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves. To visit that state has been on my bucket list for a long time. I had already been to the other 49 states by the time I was in my early 20s. I'm sure I will have many tales to blog about after that trip. We had hoped to be able to ride on a sled pulled by dogs, but may only get to tour the training facility. Anyway, there will be more exciting things to read. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Our son is engaged and plans to marry this summer. He and K are excited about the upcoming event. And so are we. Congratulations.

Save Big Money

The daughters and I went shopping today. Also took along Toots. She loves to shop, but is a little difficult to manage for a long period of time. We ate first, the most important thing, then started hitting the shops. Every store had discounts. The store where I ended up purchasing my jeans had huge savings plus additional 10, 15 or 20 % off the total. A long time ago I learned how to quickly figure the estimated final cost, but I know there must be many shoppers who do not have a clue until the cash registers displays the amount. Makes me wonder why stores don't just sell clothing for the stated amount without first hiking up the prices. Perhaps they figure people will be so confused that they will just buy the clothes no matter.

Just Wondering

Just wondering:

• If you put the words " the IRS" together you get a new word--theirs.
• When cows laugh, does milk come out their noses?
• We call a device used to walk about and talk a walkie-talkie, so why isn't a vacuum cleaner called a pushy sucky?
• Why is the word abbreviate so long when it means a shortened version of a word?

Like I said, just wondering.

That's One Small Step For Man...

During our Science lesson yesterday we were studying the sun, moon, and planets. I first asked the students what they knew about them. I was pleasantly surprised that the children did know some facts, but even more surprised that only one of them knew that our astronauts had landed on the moon several times. One child even argued with me that it would not be possible. One student told me that it was a hoax, because his brother had told him that. And we wonder why children do not pass the ISTEP+.

How Do You Spell That?

My fourth graders were looking up words in the set of yellow dictionaries the other day. Several were having trouble finding the word courage. I told one of them to go get another yellow dictionary and maybe it would be in that one. One of the boys who was done with the assignment looked at me and grinned. He knew instantly that the other dictionary was exactly the same. Sad part of the story is that one boy got his third dictionary and still couldn't find the word!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Toots, our granddaughter, was looking at her baby pictures on the wall. She has remarked before about the one where her daddy is kissing her mommy's big belly. Her mommy told her, again, that Toots is in that stomach. Then out of the blue for a three year old, Toots asked, "Mommy did you swallow me?"

Go Ahead, Pop the Bubble

Got this as an email. Have yourself hours of fun with no mess to clean up.

If You Are Going to Talk...

You can figure out what children are hearing by what they say in situations. While keeping our granddaughter the other night, she pretended to read to us from her many books. Now keep in mind that she is 3 and goes to daycare 5 days a week. She dramatically sat on her stool, opened her book, grinned at us, then began this dialogue. Once upon a time, in a very BIG city...if you are going to talk I am not going to read. (At this she put the book under her arm and just looked at us.) Hubby and I sat there in silence as she began the scene again. And again. She never did get past the "I'm not going to read..." We reassured her that we hadn't been talking, but that didn't matter. So I have summed up her daycare experiences this way: 1. The children are talkative. 2. The reader never finishes a story. If the truth be told, our granddaughter is probably one of the children who talk during the reading of the story.

Is It Time to Get Up Yet?

She slept in till 6:30 a.m. That's a new record for the granddaughter when staying at grandma's house. She's usually up at 5:00 when she hears me. So I stayed in bed until 6:30, a record for me. At her own home she knows it is not time to get up until it is light out. Well, it's plenty dark here at 6:30 but okay to get up. With our new time change this weekend Toots won't be able to get up until much later, and she will want to stay up until much later. Good luck, mommy and daddy. Now you understand why I put your cereal and bowls on the bottom shelf of the cupboard.

You Need to Get on My Last Nerve!!

Had to return to the dentist on Thursday with excruciating pain in the nerves of two teeth and one in the jaw. I have never had anything hurt as badly as that. Anyway, the dentist did a root canal on the offending tooth. He had to give me 5 shots to numb the tooth. The one nerve was difficult to subdue. Three hours later I was able to leave his office without pain. When the numbness wore off, I remained without pain. Praise the Lord!

Remembering My Brother

Today marks the four year anniversary of the loss of my brother. He passed away quietly, after a short 19 month battle with ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. I miss him so much as he and I were very close. He was also a teacher, teaching fourth grade as I do. We called and compared many things, passed ideas, and asked for suggestions. We never knew that life would be so short for him. Many missed opportunities. Many things left unsaid. Hug your loved ones today.

The Body Recycled

Anyone who knows me knows how much I encourage recycling. Not so much the save and carry to the recycle center, but the "what can I make" from this item. When I teach recycling in school, I do not have to look far to find something that I have recycled by using it for something else. Well, I just submitted a request for the ultimate in recycling. I have asked for a certificate of bequeathal to begin the process of donating my whole body to science. Why not recycle the recycler? The body that has been donated is kept for 18 - 24 months and is used in IU Medical and Dental schools some where in the state. The body is then cremated and ashes returned to the family or buried at Crown Hill Cemetery. There is no cost to the family. I have always wanted to be an organ donor. Some places permit organs to be harvested and then the body is donated. I would be so pleased if it is possible to do both.

Did You Get Your Hair Cut?

The granddaughter got a new hair cut. Can't remember who the actress is with the new style, but it is short up the back and longer at the sides of her face. It is very, very, very cute. I can't believe how much it changes her looks and makes her look so much older. I am not sure that it will be easy to care for or to keep out of her face, especially in hot weather. We may be putting it in pigtails on the side of her head.