Today is My Friday...

…and boy, am I glad!

This has been a tough week for me. It wasn’t until last night I realized how much work was affecting the rest of my life.

A couple weeks ago, some boys were sent to the office. I happened to be in there talking with Space Cadet about something. She told the boys, “Go sit in the principal’s office and do not talk.”

We didn’t know what they did to earn this little trip to the office and we didn’t ask. The boys (a couple of 6th graders, already too big for their britches) thought it was funny and were giggling and talking. Space Cadet asked them again, “Please stop talking. There’s no talking when you’re sent to the office.”

That just made them giggle more. I finally peeked in and realized that one of them didn’t have a chair. So I said, “Have a seat on the floor facing away from (the other boy).”

I finished my conversation with Space Cadet and headed out of the office to go do my recess duty. While exiting, I heard, “Boys! There IS no talking!”

She didn’t yell extremely loud, but was stern enough that the boys should have known she meant business.

I thought that was the end of it, at least as far as I was concerned.

About a day or 2 later, Space Cadet called my extension and said, “(The Superintendent’s Secretary – Space Cadet’s older sister) just called and said that there’s a letter from a parent saying I was yelling at her son and nephew and you threatened to expel them.”

I was so shocked. I said, “I remember them being in the office, but where do they get ‘Listen to me or you’ll be expelled’ from ‘Sit down and turn your back’?”

She said she was wondering the same thing. We couldn’t say anything because the letter was to the superintendent…we weren’t sent a copy. Talking about a letter we never did receive could get our older sister in trouble for breaking confidentiality. We decided to wait to see if anything happened, or if we were approached by anyone asking for our side of the story.

Later that afternoon, our older sister faxed a copy of the letter to Space Cadet. The letter was addressed to the principal, but courtesy copies were sent to the superintendent and the boys’ classroom teacher. I read the letter and could not believe it. It was full of accusations. According to the letter, the boys were not given a chance to explain what happened and were punished too harshly. They are the victims because they are children and the adults should know better.

According to the letter, they were sent to the office for calling another student names and laughing at her. There’s supposedly a witness who says the boys didn’t call anybody names and the girl they made cry over-reacted.

According to the letter, Space Cadet and I were way out of line by even speaking to them. They made it sound like Space Cadet was screaming at them (she wasn’t) and I was dropping threats all over the place (what a laugh).

The letter angered both of us, but we were still helpless. We felt couldn’t let anyone know we had read it without getting Older Sister in trouble. It was a Friday…we decided to wait out the weekend and see what happened come Monday.

Late Friday afternoon, the classroom teacher approached Space Cadet about the letter. That gave Space Cadet a reason to approach the principal. She said, “A teacher approached me about a letter they received from a parent….”

He told her not to worry about it…that everything in the letter was taken out of context and Space Cadet and I had nothing to do with why the boys were in the office.

Okay, that’s good to know. At least our boss didn’t believe the letter. But that still didn’t give me a chance to clear my own name because the teacher didn’t approach me. Space Cadet told me not to worry…that she probably just figured it was all a misunderstanding so didn’t see the need to approach me about it.

I tried not to think about it all weekend but there was a basketball tournament going on so I kept running into the mother who wrote the letter. I tried to smile like I always do…not letting on that I knew what she had done. She’d just snap her eyes and look away or give me an icy glare.

When I came to work on Monday, I kept waiting for the principal to call me into his office for a visit. He still hasn’t. I tried to convince myself that that was a good thing. It means he trusts me…doesn’t believe I would threaten a kid. (Believe me, if I thought I had the power to expel, some kids would have been gone long ago!)

But when I went to Science on Tuesday, everything changed. We have 6th grade on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I heard the teacher telling the other science teacher – while I was walking by – to “remember the letter. Don’t forget about the letter.”

The science teacher sent me out of the classroom to do other things the entire period. Not just Tuesday, but the following day, as well. That bothers me because it shows me that the classroom teacher, even after working together for 13 years, actually believes I could treat students so poorly. Not only does she believe the letter, but she’s told others about it.

So now I’m left wondering how many people have read the letter and now think differently of me because of some ridiculously false accusations made by an angry parent. As of yet, nobody has approached me so I can’t speak up. I can’t defend myself. I have to pretend like I don’t know about it. But being treated differently hurts.

I didn’t realize how much until Michael asked me last night what he did to make me mad. I explained what’s been going on at work (he knew about the letter but I didn’t tell him about the classroom teacher) and assured him that if I was mad or withdrawn, it was not because of him but because of work.

I’m so glad it’s the end of the year. I’m also glad I’m not working tomorrow. I’m hoping I’ll feel better after a 3 day weekend. I have no delusions about “everyone” liking me.  But when accusations are made, I would at least like the chance to defend myself, or explain my actions. I hate this.

Major Catch-Up With Pictures!

My internet at home has been fixed for a couple days but I was busy all weekend with basketball. We had some visiting teams from Kake. The girls lost all their games and the boys won all of theirs. It was still a good experience for all involved.

I'm going to attempt to catch you up on all that went on since my last post.

BIRTHDAY PARTY

First, was Lucione's birthday. She turned 14 on the 14th. Here she is watching her big sister Marie bring her birthday cake to her.



Always the ham...she had to pose with every single gift she received.



THE PUPPIES

We take the puppies out to the old runway so they can exercise. There's less traffic, and no big dogs to scare them. Here's Bianca eyeing the camera. I love how fluffy she is!



Copper takes some coaxing, but he seems to enjoy his time outdoors, too. He stays right by you, though, so you have to be really careful when you walk. It's easy to step on him or cause him to tumble over with your foot when he gets too close.



EASTER

The kids really enjoyed their egg hunt after dinner. So much so, that they begged us to hide their eggs over and over again. Here's Mikayla searching my truck for eggs. Don't pay any attention to the dust.



Mikayla and Craig were very competetive at first. Once they realized how much fun it was to find their eggs, they started helping each other. The eggs had initials on them and they were only allowed to fill their baskets with eggs that had their own initials on them. Sometimes they had to look really hard to see who's egg they found. :o)



They got cold but weren't ready to quit so we had to move the hunt inside.



EAGLES

When we weren't over-eating at my in-laws house, we were out enjoying the weather as much as we could. We've seen a lot of different animals, but unfortunately, the only time we had a camera was the day we went to the dump! The good news is, I spotted some gorgeous eagles perched in the trees.



Even better was the one who came waltzing right up to us. I had never been so close to an eagle. It took my breath away...the size...the beauty. It was awesome.



So there you have it. Most of my last 2 weeks or so in pictures.

I've Been Cut Off :o(

My internet at home is not working. It won’t be fixed for at least another 24 hours. *sigh* I never realize how much I use the internet until I can’t. I use it to keep an eye on my bank balance, read newspapers from other cities and states, play games (hehe), and all sorts of things. I’m not the only one who misses it, either. My niece was bored out of her mind when she came to visit me and couldn’t check her e-mail. Haha She had to play with my puppies, instead.

I have one more reading test to give today before I move on to math next week. I’ll be so happy when it’s all complete. I’ll be even gladder when this school year is over. This week has been especially stressful for me, for reasons I don’t care to get into at the moment. Summer break sounds so good right now.

So does a nice, relaxing, stress-free weekend. I was supposed to chaperone a dance on Friday, but it’s been cancelled so I can go to bed as early as I want (even though I probably won’t). I’ve been really tired lately. I actually took a nap yesterday. It was short, but I don’t take naps. For some reason yesterday, I just could not keep my eyes open.

Our weather has been crazy this week. We actually had snow the other day; HUGE flakes and an almost complete white-out. It didn’t stick, thank goodness, but it has snowed a few times since. I hope this is not a sign we’re in for a rainy summer.

I’ve got to prepare for my next reading test. Have a good day!

I Hope You Had a Wonderful Easter!

I hope everyone had a safe, enjoyable Easter weekend! My weekend was busy doing a lot of not-so-important things. Except Sunday…that was church and eating then more church and more eating. I thought I was done eating until I heard my nephew Ross is coming in today and he’s got a huge prime rib dinner planned for the family tonight. Oh well, it will be nice to see him. He hasn’t been home since last August.

We only have 3 really young (actually 2…but the third one pouted when he thought he was being excluded) kids in our family. We had an Easter egg hunt for them yesterday after dinner. They were just plastic eggs…empty plastic eggs, at that, but they had a blast.

We hid them outside and once they found them all, begged to start all over again. They had 3 hunts outside before they got cold. Then we moved inside and they had at least 3 more. I have pictures, but I’m at work.

If I can get on my computer later, I’ll post pictures. Lucione has been doing her homework at my house. That means I don’t get the computer until she’s done and with the loads of work she’s been having, that hasn’t been till after 6PM. By then I’ve had supper and am ready to do other things. That’s why I haven’t been posting very often. I can’t ever get on my computer at home!

Here at work I’ve started testing again. A whole month early, but that’s how the principal wants it. He said he wants to allow time for students to take it again if he thinks they need it. The kids aren’t very happy with me. They just took their big benchmark exams not too long ago.

We’re down to 5 and ½ weeks until summer vacation. I can’t believe how fast time is passing. I’m so ready for the break, though.

Michael is still hinting at going back to work in California if/when they call him back. Personally, I’m tired of this company. Not just because of all the traveling Michael does, either. They promised him year-round employment.  They said if they finish a project somewhere, they’ll move on to the next so they’d always be working. They haven’t worked since January. They were told that a total of 70 people throughout the company were laid off. One of the bosses let it slip that a guy who had been hired AFTER Michael and Rick was re-hired once Michael and Rick returned back to Alaska. They were told they could return by March…then April. Then they get called and told they have a month-long job here on the island. They were to be working all through April until the first part of May. They worked a total of 7 days and were told they were done. I’m getting tired of broken promises…empty bank accounts…a restless husband. I keep telling him he needs to find work here at home. Yet when you ask him when he’s going back to work, he’ll say, “They’re supposed to let me know in May.” Sometimes he’s loyal to a fault. *sigh*

I’ve got 2nd grade now…I need to give them my undivided attention during their test.

Meet the Puppies

I was expecting to have at least a week with Bianca before we got our 2nd puppy, but yesterday afternoon, the other puppy was brought to us. I was extremely nervous because it normally takes me a while to warm up to animals.

With Bianca, it was different. I'm not sure why. I liked her right off the bat and was not afraid to pick her up and hold her.

I'm still trying to get used to the 2nd puppy, mainly because he is so small. He's half the size of Bianca. I hope that he wasn't given to us too soon. He is cute, though. So here they are...

Meet Bianca and Copper

I haven't had time to take better pictures of them, but I will soon. Bianca is facing the camera. This is the first time they saw each other. She was afraid and backed herself into a corner. Now they play with each other and she acts protective over him. They're very cute and I think, in time, I'll get used to the both of them.

Since You Asked...

An ooligan, (also called smelt, eulachon, oolichan, hooligan, or candlefish) is a small, silver fish the size of herring (approximately 6 to 10 inches long). Almost 20 percent of their weight is oil.

They’ve received the nickname, candlefish, because they are so full of oil that when dried, the ooligan is able to be stood upright and lit. It will then burn from end to end like a candle.

Ooligan grease is the oil of an ooligan but is called grease because at cool temperatures, it is a solid with the color and consistency of butter. To make ooligan grease, ooligan are heaped in piles (and depending on who is making it and where…buried, covered with evergreen branches, or stored in wooden boxes) for a few days to break down the flesh and release the oil. The ooligan are then boiled and the grease skimmed off. Ooligan grease is regularly used to accent the flavor of other foods. It may be served over dried salmon, halibut, berries, or potatoes. I also like to add it to clam chowder and boiled fish (basically a fish soup with a thin broth).

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My puppy is 6 weeks old. She is a mix of, I think, 2 types of Terrier. I know for a fact that the mother is a Lhasa Apso. The father, according to my niece, is also a type of Terrier, but she doesn’t know what kind. The father belongs to my nephew and he’s away in the Merchant Marines so I can’t ask him. All I know is that she will stay fairly small.

We have chosen the name Bianca for her. Any guess as to where I got her name? (Akeskileut, zip your lips! hehe)

Space Cadet brought her to us when she returned from Town on Saturday evening. She’s doing well with us so far. We took a trip to Town on Sunday and she did extremely well in the truck. She has already attached herself to me and follows me everywhere. She’s getting more and more active as she gets to know her new surroundings more so I have to be careful not to step on her. She’s let us know that she does not like being locked in the kitchen. We put a baby gate in the doorway so that she stays on the tile while she’s home alone…easier to clean-up after her that way. She’s a pro at howling, let me tell ya. I felt bad, but couldn’t pick her up because her fluffy fur gets all over me and I didn’t want to look like I was the one shedding when I got to work.

I’ve enjoyed having her and am not really looking forward to getting a second, but we’ll see what happens. Michael’s already committed to taking him and promises that he’s cute and will also be a small, indoor dog. If nothing else, we’ll have His and Hers dogs. Haha

*If you’ve read this and there is no picture, come back later…I’m at work and will post a picture of her once I return back home.

I Got Up Early For Nothing

Yesterday when Akeskileut asked what I had planned for my weekend, I said, "Michael has to work tomorrow so it will be my lazy day."

Then Michael came home.

He said he didn't have to work and if I wanted to go to Town to pick up my puppy, we could. I've been patiently waiting since she was born so, of course, I agreed. I had to visit the bank, anyway. I've got a tax refund to deposit!

I was all excited about it and barely even remember what happened at the celebration thing last night (although the girls did see us there, so that's good) because I couldn't concentrate.

Michael woke me up at 6:30 and as soon as my eyes opened I felt as if I had over-slept. I asked him why he woke me so late and he said I had plenty of time because the ferry leaves at 8:00.

At 7:30 we went to the ferry terminal and it was gone. :o( For some reason I still do not know, it left at 6:45 today. It's making another trip at 5:00PM but will only be over there for half an hour so we'll either have to spend the night or wait till tomorrow to go over.

I got up early for nothing. So much for my lazy day. *sigh*

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Oh, about yesterdays post. I was venting. Space Cadet does silly things like this all the time. I don't help her out with money, but her parents do. Now that her oldest daughter is an adult, she helps, too.

What I resent is the fact that she knows I will always be there for her girls. She doesn't think twice about skipping out on holidays or other special days because she knows the girls will be taken care of.

She knows that when she's broke and can't feed her girls, I will. She knows that if she doesn't slow down to help her kids with homework, I will. She knows that if she feels like leaving town for a day or two (sometimes longer) she doesn't have to worry about her girls because when she's not here to take care of them, I will.

It's not unusual for me to have one or both of her girls for days at a time. Not once, in the almost 14 years I have been a part of this family, has she offered to help pay for the food I feed them. It has never crossed her mind to send them here with as little as a gallon of milk when they arrive for an extended stay.

She takes it for granted that I will be here and sometimes it just...irks me. But as mad as I get at her, I can't say no to the girls. They're children.

Her girls don't ask for much. I'm always talking to them about the value of a dollar. They are provided for at my house. I do not spoil them. When I feel like giving them something extra, I let them help me cook dinner or ask them to do a simple household chore. Then they feel as if they've earned what I've given them. They realize that their mother never has money for them. They've learned to accept it. That's the saddest part of all. I can't even fathom what must go through their heads when they hear their mother say, "I'm broke," and then have to stand by and watch her leave for an over-night stay in Town.

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Connie, you asked about my clam chowder. I actually use two pots to cook it because I start the potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery in one pot. Once the vegetables are tender, I use the 2nd pot to make a roux and slowly add Half and Half until it's well combined and smooth. Then I add it to the vegetables. The last thing I add is the clams. Once they're heated, it's time to eat! Sounds very similar to yours except that I add a couple tablespoons of ooligan grease to mine while it cooks.

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I guess now that I'm not going to pick up my puppy, I can go to our clinic dedication. Hopefully the rain will hold off until after the pole is raised. I hope you all have a good weekend.

When Will You Ever Learn?

Space Cadet strikes again!

She complained all week long about being broke. She had to pay her rent because they were threatening to evict her. She can't throw Lucione a birthday party with her friends because she had to pay rent. On and on and on about how broke she is.

The truth is, she's always broke.

She complains about it every single month and I'm tired of hearing it. She comes to the family for help every month and I'm tired of helping. She digs herself deeper in debt everyday and I'm tired of feeling sorry for her kids. I'm just tired of the whole deal.

We JUST HAD A DISCUSSION YESTERDAY about how we would have a family dinner for Lucione on her birthday (she turns 14 on Friday the 14th) because a big party or dance with all of her friends just wasn't in the budget. She told Lucione and she was okay with that.

So today after lunch she called me into her office. She showed me a program from a celebration happening tonight. She said, "I won't be able to go. Can you go in my place?"

I asked her where she was going. She wouldn't tell me. I said, "This is probably important to the girls. Why can't you go?"

"I'm going to Town."

So I ask, "Why are you going to Town?"

"Can you go to this tonight?"

Again I ask, "Why are you going to Town?"

"Ron's paying my way."

"That's not what I asked...WHY are you going to Town?"

"Marie gave me $50 to shop for Lucione's birthday. I told Lucione I'd send her over on payday since I can't give her a big party."

I just turned and walked out of the office.

I will probably go to the celebration thing tonight because Michael knows about it and will want to be there for the girls but I sort of resent the fact that, once again, Space Cadet is running off and expecting me to pick up the pieces.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she's using Lucione's birthday as an excuse to go and visit her friend Ron...overnight...with no money. How can you shop for a birthday with $50? Things are expensive here. $50 will not go far. Lucione was happy with a small family celebration, now Space Cadet has promised her a trip to Town on her next payday. That will put her behind on rent again. It's all a vicious cycle that Space Cadet created all on her own and doesn't seem to be capable of breaking.

The only reason she's going over is because my in-laws and oldest sister-in-law are in Seattle for a potlatch and Space Cadet is feeling left out. She's been whining and moping all week and Ron got tired of it and told her to come over.

Nevermind that your daughters are being honored for their recent sportsmanship award. Nevermind that you have a choir concert in 2 days and you'll be missing dress rehearsal. Nevermind the fact that you HAVE NO MONEY and are always complaining you are broke.

Go.

Have fun.

Just don't expect me to feel sorry for you when you can't make ends meet next week. Payday is a long 3 and a half weeks away and the check will mean nothing because you've already promised it to others.

Oops!

I swear I start each day thinking, “I need to make an entry to my blog today.” But once I’m up and ready to start my day, I don’t do it.

This week at school we’re busy with tests. The students are taking their state benchmark exams and the teacher’s aides are taking a test to prove they are highly qualified. It’s the teacher’s aides who are keeping me busy.

I’ve been trying to help them cram so that they can pass at least one of the three sections on the test. They’re not very confident they can pass any part of it, but we’ll keep going till they’ve passed them all. They have until June 30th to pass in order to assure them of a job next school year. It all stems from the No Child Left Behind Act.

The weather for the past few weeks has been absolutely gorgeous. We’ve warmed up quite a bit, even hitting 50 degrees a couple days in a row this week. As I walked to work this morning it was cloudy and sprinkled for a few minutes, but was still a nice walk.

The only complaint I had was the neighbor’s dog wouldn’t stop following me. The more I asked him to go home, the closer he followed. They need to put him on a leash. He drags trash all over the place and even swiped one of Michael’s shoes he left on the porch. Nevermind that Michael shouldn’t have left his shoes on the porch, the dog needs to be tied up.

We have about 6 and a half weeks left before Summer Vacation. That is unreal. I cannot believe how fast this year flew by! Every year at this time I find myself wondering what it would be like to not work the following year. “What if I stayed home?” “What if I got a job somewhere else?” “What if….”

Then August comes along, I get a call asking if I want to work and I always say yes.

I’m out of time. Space Cadet is pouting because she’s not required to take the exam the teacher’s aides are taking. Mr. Principal is tired of hearing her whine about it so I have to test her today. *sigh*

Finally!

After a week off for Spring Break, I got sick. So I ended up with a two week break, instead. By Wednesday, I thought I was okay but then got worse Wednesday night. I ended up dehydrated and everything, so it wasn’t fun.

But I’m back at work now and other than a million questions from everyone, it’s like I never left.

I can’t even remember what I posted about last (I’m at work and using Word to type so can’t read my blog.).

Spring Break was nice. The girls played in a tournament. The “End-of-the-Season Tournament”, thank goodness. I love watching them play, but their season always drags on forever. I know they’re trying to keep the kids busy, but I think our town needs to figure out some other sports for the kids to play.

Anyway, the girls are on the same team. They lost their first game but continued on because it was double-elimination. They won their second game. They lost their 3rd game and according to the bracket, should have received 3rd place because the winner of their game went on to championship. But somehow they had to play a team they already eliminated and lost so they got 4th. That made no sense, and they should have won, but their team got the Sportsmanship award. I won’t even go into the bad refs and how lopsided the calls were (the girls’ team had 17 fouls and the other team had 5…and it was the girls’ team getting knocked all over the place).

The week after Spring Break is a week I would like to forget. I had major stomach problems. I won’t go into details because, trust me, you don’t wanna know. Hehe

My nephew Theodore was over from Town for his Spring Break and came to visit me a few times. One night he brought my nephew James with him and they played I Spy on my computer for a while. When James started bossing him he said, “Be nice or I’ll go get Aunty. She’s the Tickle Master!” He’s always asking how I know “everybody’s” ticklish spots.

Lucione spent the night with us on Saturday. It was her first time since we moved into this house. Sunday afternoon we went to a family potluck because Michael’s aunt and uncle are visiting from Fairbanks on their way to Reno. I didn’t think his aunt would remember me but she called me over for a hug and reprimanded me for not visiting her the last time she went through town. Haha

Michael has been taking advantage of the low tides and gathering seafood. So far we’ve had clams on the half-shell, fried rice with cockles, and fried octopus (we call it devil fish). Tonight we’ll have clam chowder. We were also given herring eggs. We ate those a couple nights ago and last night we bought some ooligans. I’m afraid that with all this seafood, the hamburger we have in the refrigerator is going to spoil!

My first class is here so I guess I better stop now. I hope (if I even have any readers left after my long absence) you all have a good day! :o)