Adam-12

We’re lovin’ it on Netflix Instant.

Season 4 was filmed in 1971.  I was 8 years old, and don’t remember the radical changes that were sweeping the USA, but the episodes make it clear.

I’m trying to explain it to my kids.  How did a generation suddenly get the idea it was smart/fun/right/profitable to rebel (even to the point of violence) against every authority?  When did authority in general lose so much credibility that teens ran in the opposite direction?

I remember Watergate- the government lost credibility.  I remember hearing about the unnecessary roughness by some police.  I’m having a hard time pinning down how parents lost credibility, though. 

My mom was (and is) strict, but fair, and I’ve never doubted that her strictness was for my benefit and not her own benefit.  We have a good friendship now, and I hope my kids and I end up with the same kind of relationship in 2049.

What happened?  Or was it a small segment of teens and 20-somethings that rebelled, but made so much noise that the movement seemed large?

Sad

Maybe it’s Spring Fever.  The weather has taken a sudden, radical turn to the Sweltering.  Last week it was 55 in the afternoon- this afternoon it was 85.

But I like hot weather.  I didn’t even get sunburnt mowing the rest of the lawn.  So, what’s to complain about?

Maybe it’s the state of the carpets.  One of the treasures brought me a vacuum Friday night, though, so they should look just fine by Monday evening.

I’ve got a very pleasant surprise for #1 on Tuesday- she’s getting her braces off.  Usually, a nice secret for someone I love cheers me immensely.

Maybe it’s the same old, same old- trying to make a nickel stretch into a dime, and getting hassle on all sides about it.

However, I am so very, very thankful that we don’t live in Japan, where you can sign your grandkids into paying your debt.  If I had 1 wish (beyond the doznes of blessings already lavished on me), it would be that my kids would live their adult lives debt-free.

Maybe it’s another same old, same old.

“Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourself fully to your work in the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Homework

We’re starting homeschool Monday, a week early.  Los kiddos are driving me nuts, and sniping at each other to boot.

I’ve got the kitchen painted, and the lawn 1/2 mowed, so the housework can go to first gear as we get used to the school-year schedule.

#2 has talked me into putting her in “6th and a half” grade.  She’ll be doing 7th grade math, science and history.  (I’ll be heavily involved in the history and science lectures)  She can have 6th grade reading, language arts and put off 7th grade foreign language (Latin) and typing until after 4th of July at least.  Her math will pick up after that point, but she should be used to the new science and history formats by then….

This weekend, then is chock-full of homework for me.  I have to write a Latin final exam, a French final study sheet, and grade some English papers.  I picked up a copy of Macbeth at the library so I can re-read it and begin writing lecture notes.  Macbeth is one of the 5 novels I’ll be lecturing on next fall*, and my goal is always to have my classes prepped by July 4.

Freedom, donchaknow. 

 

* The others are Black Beauty,  To Sir With Love, Pilgrim’s Progress and Jungle Book.  Since I’m giving the students the option of reading Gone with the Wind and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I’ll need to read them as well this summer.  

They also have an option to read The Princess Bride, which is much funnier than the movie, but I cannot remember the name of the fellow who really wrote it.  His nom de plume was S. Morgenstern…

MayFood

One of my favorite household chores is setting up the menus for the next month.  Since Mr Wonderful gets paid once a month, we keep each week the same, but vary the week according to season.

It’s been irritatingly cold for a Georgia April, so I am thrilled to be able to write for May’s dinners:

Crock Pot Mac-n-Cheese (to take to Home Group on Sunday nights.  Cheap, feeds a lot of people, and the other wives don’t do much for their Sunday dinner [having eaten a large lunch after church each week], so it’ll be welcome.

Veggie Platter.  Yellow corn, orange carrots, green peas, applesauce in its own cup.  There’s several pkg of diced yellow squash in the freezer, I may experiment week by week with sautes, mashes, and frying…

Spaghetti and salad.  Hoorah!  There’s still enough ground deer left for meat sauce for 6 more weeks!

Pineapple-Fried Rice with Chicken.  A side-dish recipe (I add chicken) from the American Beef Cattlemen’s Association, of all places, published in the local paper whilst we lived in Orlando.  Fond memories and flavorful dinner!

Quesadillas and chips.  As much salsa as each individual likes.  This meal is VERY quick and easy, and occurs the evening after I teach 9th/10th grade English. 

Japanese chicken salad.  You know that cabbage-marinade-uncooked Ramen salad that shows up at potlucks and disappears in moments?  Toasted almonds and sesame seeds go into the marinade- a chance to hone my toasting skills….

We’re moving the Scream to Saturday.  Netflix delivers new movies on Wednesdays (we watch in the afternoon) and Saturdays.  We’ll move dinner to an early hour and invite visitors to Scream and Games and a Movie.  My girls LOVE having guests over!

Even the lunch menu excites me: one day each week we’ll have green bean casserole.  #1 will have to develop the taste for it that #2, #3 and I already have.  Having grilled cheese sandwiches the day before will be an inducement not to comment or complain about the greenbeans.

The crazy food pick-up has given us enough frozen dough for the next 2 months.  Hoorah! 

Spring!  Warm air!  Light meals!  We’re ready!

Laundry List

1. Buy small jug of laundry detergent

2. Buy washing soda (to make own laundry detergent on Monday). 

3. Fill out paperwork: survey from dentist where my crown is awaiting me, TY note for Secret Sister, copy MIL’s recipe into recipe book.

4. Grade English papers.  Sadly, the students did not take advantage of Spring Break to catch up on their missed assignments, although I wrote each student a list of what they needed to do.  Well, they have until May 7- I hope they will do the work and get the “A”.

5. Call the pound and get rid of the cat.  The cat has been spayed, this is the 2nd attack on my kiddo, and we will teach the kids that their lives are more important than any animal’s, because it’s true.  (Yes, I am sad.  But determined.)

6. Research health insurance prices for Mr W and I.  His work will offer us a policy for $500/mo, beginning next October.  I believe a direct account (with a nationally-reputable company, of course! ) will be cheaper.

7. The Scream.  The rough part of the Friday Scream (oh, do I sound like a Princess, or what?) is making the pizzas.  By the time Friday evening rolls around, I want to be part of the Party Audience, not still the Party Arranger.  Duh- roll out the dough and lay out the toppings in the morning!!  No Netflix movie is due until tomorrow, so I will pull Arranger privilege and we’ll watch Facing the Giants.  Or maybe I’ll borrow a movie from that church friend who loaned us all the old Superman episodes….

8. Wash all the sheets and general laundry. 

9. Teach los kiddos how to make Green Bean Casserole (you know, the one with fried onions on top).

10. At least 3 episodes of Adam-12, from Netflix Instant.  (Nostalgia Win: some episodes include the plot device of stopping at a pay phone to phone the station, since Reed and Malloy don’t have cell phones or even a car phone)

Postscript (After lunch):  Wow, I had forgotten how delicious Green Bean Casserole is!  Except for #1, we all had double helpings.  Potlucks, here we come!

Thankful

It was sunny today, and got up to 70 degrees.  I got to share my testimony tonight at church, which always reminds me how much better my life (and usually my outlook) is nowadays.  I’m so thankful that things look better than they did 4 days ago.

I’m thankful for Mr Wonderful.  (What a change from 2 years ago! TY to all of you who have been praying for our marriage- it’s working!)  He’s been pretty consistent to save Tuesday nights for taking me to McD’s for a coke and a marriage workbook session.  Also, he picked up my antibiotics this week, bought and installed the new ethernet card, and fixed the kitchen fan/light!

I’m thankful for our trip to Kentucky.  Los in-laws really were sweet, and SIL didn’t make a scene.  We had a great time at Mammoth Cave- a real memory-maker!

I’m thankful for Rootie and SD, who have stuck with me thru life’s ups and downs for a quarter of a century.  What a miracle!

I’m thankful for our church family.  I can’t think of a single person at our church that I actively dislike.  They are like a limitless treasure chest: “Ooooh, there’s another big ruby!  Wow, what a gorgeous necklace!  Who knew these ancient coins were down here in the corner?”  The folks at church are so different from each other, but all so beautiful.

Hope you are heading into a good weekend, too!

And…We’re Back

Suddenly, the Internet went out.  Couldn’t do much about it from the dentist’s chair, however, where I was re-learning the definition of “discomfort” and being told I may need a root canal.

Mr Wonderful lived up to his name and picked up a new Ethernet Card and the antibiotics whilst I swatted a fly to Kingdom Come, causing the chain to break on the kitchen’s ceiling fan/light. Now we can’t get the ceiling fan to stop (and it’s 47 at night around here) until we take apart the whole contraption.

So I turned off the circuit at the fusebox, and we turn it on when we need both bathrooms, since the same fuse controls the ’spare’ bathroom light, the ceiling fan, and the kitchen lights. 

We’re not in danger from los kiddos bumping around in the kitchen after dark, however, because our new baby chicks have their own heating light that shines enough, even from the back bedroom, to replace the nightlight.  Mr W can fix the kitchen fan/light tomorrow night- getting Internet back took longer than expected (big surprise, huh?).

We won’t mention Aunt Flo arriving early.

I won’t be around tomorrow to try and take down the ceiling fan/light as a prep for Mr W, sadly.  #1 stepped on a rusty nail and we’re heading to the Health Dept at 8 a.m. for a DTP shot.   Afterwards I’ll be on the phone with a vet to find out what might have caused the cat to attack #2 twice in the past 2 days.  (No, #2 hasn’t been teasing the cat.  I was right there for the second attack, and it was completely unprovoked.)

Why am I posting at midnight?  Am I awake from the thrill of getting communication back with the Outside?  Cramps?  Shivering from the outrageous mid-April low temperatures?  The low-grade headache that is my own version of a cold #3 recently passed along to me?

Nope.  The new antibiotics have 3 lovely rules:  Take every 6 hours for 7 days.  Take with at least 8 oz of water.  Don’t lie down for at least 30 minutes after taking a dose.  Midnight, 6 am, noon, 6 pm.  Feels like there’s a newborn in the house.  (This is the only antibiotic with a warning of possible severe side effects up to a month after you take ‘em.)

Soap operas couldn’t write this stuff.

Since when

do we have snow 2 winters in a row in this state?

do we spend an hour under the house several times, listening for tornadoes?

 

Am I turning into a nervous old biddy, or has this been an ‘unusual’ winter?

Thankfully, the severe storm/hail/tornado warning occurredd after Friday Scream.  Priorities, donchaknow.

On

I really, really like my FIL & MIL.  MIL is the world’s greatest cook, and FIL respects me.  Just how I like it.

We had a great time with folks and got a “Please come back soon”, so things are looking pretty good, relationship-wise.

But, oh, gosh.  The first night was lovely.  #2 got to ride the new horse.  #1 got to look thru a 300-page JCPenney catalog.  #3 got hours of reading in.  (He’s reading “Inheritance”.  I’m stunned.) 

The second night, Mr W went off to visit friends, FIL went off to shoe a horse (he’s a farrier), and MIL & I watched the tornadoes come across the county, whilst los kiddos went down to the basement.  There’s a TV down there, so they only knew about the heavy storm weather.  The tornadoes passed one county to the east.  Sigh.

The third night, temps dropped to 20 and it snowed.  SNOWED.  Then it turned to sleet, and froze the roads.  By Day 4, los kiddos were a bit antsy, as was I, so we left.  We passed 3 overturned 18-wheelers in the first hour.  Nasty roads.

Once we got South enough for the weather to behave properly, we got stuck behind an accident on the Tennessee River Bridge.  Only an hour’s delay, and we all had “Return Trip Books”, bottled water, and poptarts, so I turned off the engine and we enjoyed the quiet.

I’m glad to be home- aren’t you?

p.s. Magistramater, TY for the recommend “All But My Life”.  Mr W is enjoying it tremendously.

Off

We’ve done all we can to prepare- packed lovely clothes, renewed our AAA membership (we got hit by an 18-wheeler on one trip), packed books for “to” and other books for “from”, loaded in bottled water, cleaned the dashboard (aka “pimped the ride”).

The in-laws should have much, much less to be upset with. 

We (Mr W and I) are still too fat and our 11-year-old is still doesn’t wear makeup or Hannah Montana clothing, but when los In-Laws mention that, we’ll stand firm.  (Fat people stand really firm, donchaknow?)

Kentucky, here we come!

post-trip:  Los in-laws were pleased with ride, clothes, manners.  In fact, MIL said, “Let’s go to church- I want to show off my family”!!    They outmanoeuvered us, however, with 2 new subjects: 1.)Our lives would be so much better if we threw the kids in “regular” school and I got a job.  After all, all 3 kiddos’ characters are “set”, since they are older than 6.  and 2.)Mr W is endangering los kiddos and I by getting his certification in French.  After all,  what if the school drops its foreign language program, or cuts it?  French will be the first to go!  Why didn’t he get certified in a real subject, like reading or math?  (Never mind that Mr W has next year’s contract to teach French, signed by the school board, in hand…)

These older folks, they’re so tricky!