Category Archives: the coffeepot’s on

Every mug has a back story.

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Coffee, tea, hot cocoa – no matter what your hot beverage of choice, the mug it’s in is very likely to carry a story. This came up in a thread on Facebook, and I realized I had a number of posts featuring my coffee mug collection. Most of the posts are from my first or second year of blogging. Let’s start with yesterday’s mug, Where’s Waldo, and today’s mug of choice, Ducks in a row.

Where’s Waldo? Well, if you can’t find him now, just fill the mug with hot liquid (preferably Folgers) and all of the faux Waldos’ shirts will fade away. This mug has been in my collection for a long time — at least 13 years (Daisy’s update: at least 20 years, now). I ordered it free with a few labels from cans of Spaghetti-os and a miniscule shipping and handling fee. It has served up tea, hot cocoa, and of course, coffee. I’ve had a lot of fun with this mug over the years, including watching people stare at it in the teachers’ lounge. It was worth the shipping and the stamp. And now, Ducks in a Row. Continue reading →

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Eating Locally – with rhubarb cookies

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The rhubarb patch was getting overgrown – again – and I was stuck at home due to car repairs. What’s the connection, you might ask, and my family and close friends and regular readers would say, “Doh!”

I might add that the weather was wet, wet, and more wet, so I wasn’t likely to spend any time in the garden temporarily known as the Okay By Me Swamp. That brought me back to the kitchen and (full circle) the rhubarb.

I baked cookies. We now have rhubarb cookies, delicious and sweet, and a little more room in the rhubarb patch. A little, I said. I only harvested what I needed for one cup. There’s plenty left in the patch. For your enjoyment, here’s the recipe, slightly modified from the one I found on All Recipes dot com.

Rhubarb Drop cookies

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 cup rhubarb, chopped thin

1/2 cup raisins

3 Tablespoons flax seeds

1. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Mix the raisins into this mixture until well coated to keep the raisins from clumping.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and egg until smooth. Beat egg into batter. Stir in the rhubarb.  Mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined. Sprinkle with flax seeds; stir one more time.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Optional: use a fork coated with sugar to flatten cookies slightly. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes. Cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving to wire rack.

Serve with coffee, of course.

And then, after you sample the fresh cookies, take the rhubarb leaves out to the compost along with the eggshell and coffee grounds. After all, compost is what happens, and what happens is all natural and good.

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Week Six, and back to work!

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Timing is everything, isn’t it? I planned my surgery for the last week in January to avoid the Super Bowl (wishful thinking on the part of this Packer fan) and to finish my first semester report cards before letting a long term sub take over, along with the reasoning of Get This Over With Now because I’m So Done With These Symptoms Already!

I managed to be in the hospital overnight during one of the coldest, most frigid stretches of the winter. In this case, I was lucky. I had as many blankets as I wanted, decent heat, a view (6th floor room!), and oatmeal for breakfast.  Unrelated as those might seem, all are important when the air outside is so crystal clear that boiling water tossed out a window will freeze in mid-air.

The real advantage of having surgery as the polar vortex arrived was the aspect of sick leave. My six weeks of medical leave landed me on a couch with blankets and fresh coffee while my dear darling coworkers were wrapped in sweaters, thick tights, blankets, and fingerless gloves just to survive the drafts that kept sneaking into the office environment. They sent me nice emails saying things like, “Stay home and stay warm!” “You planned this perfectly!” and “Don’t even consider coming back early!”

So I didn’t. Even though it crossed my mind during weeks Four and Five, I held onto my patience and stuck it out. Now it’s Week Six, the End of the Rest and Recovery Period, and I’m ready to go back and retake my cubicle.

I have questions, though. As usual, I have questions.

  • Are they still making coffee in the closet? Or do I need to bring my own?
  • Is my blanket still tucked in the cupboard with the science and social studies teachers’ manuals? Will I need it?
  • Should I take the stairs or ease into it by taking the elevator for a few days?
  • Will anyone bring donuts? Or bagels? To welcome me back, or maybe just because? Or will they expect me to bake something to celebrate my own return?
  • Do I already have enough lessons planned? I know I sketched out the semester’s units in January. Am I ready for Monday, or should I spend some of Friday looking over my calendar and files?
  • It’ll be mid March when I return. Will I need my fingerless gloves?

Readers, do you have advice for me?

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Making the Book List – grades 7 and 8

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I started reading suggested books for grades 7 and 8 feeling somewhat embarrassed at how many I hadn’t read, I attacked one I had on my Kindle: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The first of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz collection, it was an easy read. The language of the early 20th century (the book was published in 1900) might make today’s readers giggle a little and some weak readers might misunderstand parts of the plot. Those who grew up watching the 1939 movie might wonder why there are differences. Students lucky enough to know the stage show, which premiered on Broadway in 1902, will recognize parts of the show that do not show up in the book, such as the Tin Woodman’s back story.

I liked the book well enough. In the big picture, the Wizard’s collection has grown in ways Baum couldn’t have predicted. Judy Garland’s fame, the 1939 movie production in color, and a century later, the phenomenon of the book Wicked and its Broadway version.

Baum also has a note in the preface cautioning readers not to think too much while they read. He states that he wrote the book collection for entertainment, and entertainment only. Truth or little white lie, I don’t know. I remember a high school history teacher talking about symbolism in the collection, such as the Scarecrow representing the farmers and the Tin Man in the place of the Industrial Revolution.

I wish I knew a little more about the middle school English Language Arts curriculum. When I reviewed the freshman book list a few years ago, I had at least a general idea of a theme: “the concept of the individual as well as interpersonal relationships.” For grades 7 and 8, the administrators did not provide that information. They only provided a list of books.

Knowing the reasoning behind the choices makes a big difference. In fact, whether the Wizard was meant to entertain or to symbolize makes less of a difference than why students will read it. When I taught 6th grade, our goals included both learning to read and reading to learn. We didn’t have an overarching theme, but we had a goal: that our students would learn to read, think, analyze, compare, and understand at high levels. We chose books according to the students’ reading levels.

In conclusion, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a nice piece of Americana, a classic story that grew into much more. I enjoyed it. I’m keeping it on my Kindle and reading the other parts of L. Frank Baum’s original later – when I can get it away from Chuck’s fascination with Kindle’s word games.

 

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Planned Overs

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Chuck had the week off and spent much of it in the kitchen. He goes back to work next week on a normal workweek schedule. As normal, that is, as normal can be in an NFL market not represented in the Big Bowl in the Jersey Snow.
Meanwhile, back at the O.K. Chorale, Amigo and I will be tasked with cooking our own meals. I will still have limitations to what I can do in terms of lifting and bending, so we’re thinking and planning ahead.

Tip number one: Chuck is making extras. When we make leftovers on purpose, it’s called planned=overs. Amigo and I will be able to slip a leftover into the microwave and call it Lunch.

Tip number two: Chuck and Amigo will make a trip to the corner meat market six blocks from home. Their task: bring home chicken pot pie and/or pre-made lasagna. If anything else jumps off the shelf or out of the freezer section, I could be in a positive frame of mind toward anything that Amigo can cook. I’m willing to offer help, as long as he handles the bending and lifting.

Tip number three: Chuck and I picked up several pantry basics such as beans in many colors, soup mixes (not cans), and chili fixins. If the pantry is full, a pantry raid supper is a simple plan.

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Health News at the O.K. Chorale

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No one has the flu.

Chuck’s kidneys are not, at the moment, stoned.

Amigo is in good spirits and preparing for Trivia Weekend, one of his favorite weekends all year long.

La Petite and her significant other will visit to go to a hockey game armed with teddy bears. Trust me. It makes sense.

And me? I finally reached my tolerance limit and told the doctor I was ready for a permanent solution to a problem that’s been happening on and off for the last five years. My surgery is Monday morning.

My recovery could take as long as six weeks. My substitute is trained and ready to take over my online school obligations. I have loaded my Kindle with books, I bought new pajama pants emblazoned with Dr. Seuss’ One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. There’s coffee enough in the cupboard.

Deep breath: I think I’m ready.

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Amigo’s stack of books

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Audio Book Cartridges

Audio Book Cartridges

Amigo enjoys reading and listening to books of almost any genre. Sometimes he gets inspired by something I’ve read, and sometimes a book on Public Radio’s Chapter a Day will pique his interest in an author. He relaxes on the couch or on his bean bag chair, makes himself comfortable, and listens to another piece of literature.

Once in a while, he recommends something to me. That’s when I head to paperbackswap dot com and add to my wish list.

And then, of course, I refill my coffee and settle down with a good read.

 

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Waiting Area or Lobby?

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Our offices are rather cramped. I may have mentioned the Coffee Closet, a.k.a. the Clounge. We have no room to sit down together, and there is no lounge or meeting area. The coffee maker and the microwaves are in a storage closet, on a table opposite shelves loaded with books, manuals, bags full of math manipulatives and science materials, and boxes of pencils and pens. And more, I’m sure, but there are boxes I’m afraid to open, they’ve been there so long.

Anyway, we have no place for families to sit down and wait, either. Teachers are creative, even when they work in cubicles, so of course someone came up with a solution.

The Official Waiting Area

The Official Waiting Area

It’s just two chairs and a small table. To the right is our main door; to the left, storage lockers. This little spot is in a huge hallway — huge in the way that it’s a school hallway, wide enough for large groups of students to comfortably pass from one class to another. Nowadays, on our top floor at least, only teachers and administrators wander this hallway, and usually just to get from their own offices to the bathroom and back again.

But as it happens, I had another brainstorm. Parents often sit here while they are waiting for their children to take a placement test or get a benchmark reading assessment done. Many parents have youngsters along, and then have nothing to do while they wait. Here’s our chance. We’ll give them something to do, something valuable, something that will be good for both parent and child.

We’ll create a read-aloud station in our new Hallway-Lobby.

It’s fairly simple in concept. A set of books, a batch of informational brochures, and a sign explaining it all.

Read Aloud!

Read Aloud!

And below, the drawer, previously containing only empty file folders, now filled with learning materials.

I copied them in color, just for fun.

I copied them in color, just for fun.

Books are on the way. I ordered ten different picture books from Paperback Swap dot com, and six are already in the mail headed my way. I’ll beg and plead I mean I’ll write for a grant or two and see if we can beef up the collection, and then we’ll have it: the reading area.

I’ll let you know how it works. The boss likes it, so it must be worth something.

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Stormy weather

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Overheard:

“We’ve had a lot more severe weather than usual.”

“These storms have people in my neighborhood talking.”

“I’m planning on getting more self sufficient, little by little, until we’re off grid completely.”

“Every time we get one of these lengthy power outages, I want to put up more food and prepare for the worst.”

“Climate change? What climate change? It’s just environmental jihad.”

With the exception of the last one, all of these people were noticing climate change.  None are my own quotes, no matter how much they sound like me. Most were my coworkers, in fact. We’ve all noticed the changing climate, and we’ve also noticed how the major events are changing people.

None of us are survivalists, radicals, preppers, or the so-called Environmental Jihad. Ahem, maybe we do resemble the last one. But seriously, peoples. One teacher talked about her neighborhood having a block party, the first in years – maybe the first ever. During the August storm, neighbors talked to neighbors and realized they didn’t spend enough time socializing with those who lived nearby. Her neighborhood decided to do something about it.

I, too, was reminded how much I like my neighbors. Despite the huge tree leaning on their house, they were turning on their camp stove and calling me over for coffee. I don’t think we’re up for a block party yet, though. Feelings still run high about the Lorax and her influence on the Powers That Be.

So while we’re on the subject, folks, take a look at the book Life As We Knew It. Apocalyptic rather than dystopian, it did put me in the survivalist frame of mind. How would we cope if suddenly the world changed?

On a positive note, I’ve been busy bartering. Yep, good old fashioned barter. I swapped dill seed for zucchini (yeah, yeah, I know she would have given away the zucchini no matter what) and in a similar vein, I swapped a handful of rhubarb for a bucket of pears.

Maybe you’re reading this ramble and asking, Daisy, what’s your point? I’ll toss it back to you: what changes have you made in your life and what changes have you noticed in others? If you wrote the “overheard” section at the top of the page, what have you overheard about climate change? And finally, how would you react?

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Questions, questions, I have questions

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If I use a strawberry dump cake recipe but replace the strawberries with blueberries, cherries, and a diced peach, what should I call it?

When the rain barrels are full and there’s more rain coming, should I put out buckets to save even more rain water?

If I water a strawberry plant with the leftover liquid in my coffee cup, will the strawberries have caffeine? Is there such a thing as a decaf berry?

Why is the city-planted grass in the terrace playing host to more weeds than grasses?

How much of the terrace should I actually weed, given that we’re going to have our service sidewalk replaced and a new baby tree planted and more people digging in the terrace dirt?

Health and circumstances have cut into my time and energy. Does anyone really mind the weeds?

Will the city crews avoid the water and gas lines this time? Don’t. Even. Think. About it.

Why does Krumpet the bunny get so worked up when I’m grinding herbs in my mortar and pestle?

Why is Sadie the bunny shedding – in July?

When should I schedule our garage sale? We have plenty of good things to sell, and the little collectible junk will make people happy, too.

And why has Grandma Daisy been so quiet lately? There’s plenty going on, and I’m sure she has opinions on just about everything coming out of Madison and Washington, among other places.

 

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