Why was I surprised?

I had an interesting thing happen with one of my piano students, and I should have known better than to fall in to this trap being the Republican that I am. 

Disclaimer- - None of you piano parents who read my blog need worry . . . . this was not one of your children :)

I have students who occasionally leave their piano books home leaving me to become creative and figure out what we are going to do at lessons without their books.  Sooooo. . . . I decided to make some learning games to play when something like this comes up.  I made a "memory" game, a "fishing" game and we also play different "card" games that reinforces note reading among other things.

Well, a week or so ago I had a student (who is a repeated "I forgot my books" offender) asked (with 5 minutes remaining in the lesson) if we could play the fishing game.  I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, we don't have enough time left in our lesson to get it out and play!"  Her response, "Next week, I'll just not bring my books."  (my jaw dropped)

I, in a very exasperated voice asked her if she'd left her books home on purpose before . . . . . and she got a very sheepish look on her face and looked down . . . . . . .

WOW, if this isn't a little model for why government social programs don't work, I don't know what is.  I had unwittingly created just the thing I don't believe in. . . . . . I guess when she forgets her books I should find some unsavory task for her to perform . . . . Theory pages????  That just might fit the bill!!       

Wordless Wednesday

Use or Lose

Every September my hubby has what he calls "use or lose" vacation days.  They are exactly what they sound like . . . . you either "use" or "lose" your vacation days that go over the acceptable limit of saved vacation days.  He has been able to take a lot of Fridays off and he has taken random days in the middle of the week also. 

USUALLY, the schools here get one Friday off to go to the county fair.  This year they cancelled the "fair day" because we have already missed so many days of school due to weather .  .  .  . soooooooo

Even though McKay wasn't able to go with us to the fair, Lincoln and I went anyway.  It felt like a date!  I have to say the real reason I pushed to go to the fair was that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fresh kettle corn they sell at the fair. . . . . . I don't believe I had ever had it until we moved here, and I'm a fan of it!

Here I am with my bag of kettle corn!

This is a really small fair . . . . . . we did all we could (minus the rides)! 

Pig races:

A Charles County crop . . . . . tobacco.  Can you believe this county has a Queen Nicotina???  Amazing . . . 

Charles County handiwork . . . . .

On Saturday, we took McKay and his new friend out target shooting.  We had a ton of ammo that we needed to blow away!

While the boys were shooting I was looking at the hillside next to the range.  I thought it was covered in autumn leaves, then I realized that the whole hill was covered in spent metal casings.  Wouldn't these be recyclable?  It seems like this metal ought to be worth something . . . . .

Shotgun casings . . . . notice the live cartridge on the left?  Wonder how many of those are around???

I had to get in on the action.  All I can think of when I look at this picture is how some ladies do anything to get some "body" into their hair and MINE! holy cow, needs to relax a little!


All of us really enjoy this sweet little "one shot" 22.  We had three 22's to shoot there, but the magazines
on the other two are really hard on the fingers to load!


The boys surveying their sharp shooting.

We moved over to the shotgun range . . . . . but we didn't bring our clay pigeons . . . . so we found some that hadn't been broken and also threw up sticks to shoot. 

McKay is throwing something up for his dad to shoot . . . . .

Checking out those broken sticks!

We shot until we didn't have anymore ammo.  It was a good, fun day.

To top off the weekend we spent a nice day at church today.  I got to attend the adult Sunday School class, thanks to the bishop who substituted for me who was substituting for myself, who had been released a couple of weeks earlier . . . . (he is oh, so nice of a guy) it's a lot nicer attending Sunday School when you've studied the lesson. 

Back to real life tomorrow.

On a new path




Our first poloroid moment.

 

Some changes have been in the wind for me . . . . . must have been blown in with the hurricane.  I've been a Sunday School teacher to the 15-year-old class for almost 4 years, and that has come to an end.  (though I'm still substituting until they find a replacement!!)  My new calling is the assistant young women's camp director.  I love the first word of this title . . . . "assistant" implying no responsibility just assisting . . . . .  

Now you may think that this is quite a decrease in work load, but I will tell you our young women in our ward take their camping very seriously.  It is a year round program.  Never ending.  The only thing that really scares me in this calling is the week long of heat and humidity that I'll be submitting myself to at camp, and the hiking!  I am not a good hiker.

So, guess what?  The first thing I was asked to do was do a pre-hike with some of the other YW leaders. 



After a week long of torrential rains (no wind though!) and 15 inches of rain in 5 days, we took the first sunny day and went on a 5.5 mile hike in Virginia/West Virginia to a place called Raven Rocks. 

Since I hadn't done any research on our hike, I was very pleasantly pleased to find out that we were on a portion of the "Appalachian Trail" (AT) which I have always felt a little curiosity about. 



Lincoln has always said that he wants to hike the AT sometime in his lifetime and since the trail begins in Maine and ends in Georgia, I think he will have a fun time finding a hiking mate!!! ;)  The hike is 2, 180 miles and passes through 14 states.  Not a feat for the weak of heart, will or mind!

While we were hiking the trail we came upon a couple (man and wife I'm presuming, not assuming;) who were hiking the complete trail, they had done a portion of it earlier and were planning to complete it by ending in GA in the next couple of months.  They were hiking fast . . . . . we didn't see much of them!



McKay and Lincoln with Duane in the background.



It was fun to get out, feel the sun, exert ourselves, and do something in nature.  My new calling will give me an opportunity to hike the trail again in 2 weeks with the girls.  I'm hoping some of them go slowly so I won't look like such a bad hiker . . . . . . .

I am also hoping I don't get as muscle sore next time . . . . .



My fellow hiking mates: Duane, Linda, LeeAnn, McKay and Lincoln.
Nothing like a good cliff to make a hike worthwhile.

Having a view to gaze upon is always a plus. We spent about an hour eating lunch and enjoying this spot.

Flashback Friday

Journal Jar question:  How did you like being the oldest, youngest, or middle child?  What were the advantages and disadvantages?

I am an oldest child of an oldest child.  My oldest child was also the oldest grandchild and oldest great grandchild on my mom's side of the family.  This brought me notoriety.

On the other hand, I was somewhat chagrined to find out I fell in the middle of the grandchild equation on the other side of the family . . . . . . . what a downgrade!

Advantages?  I knew ALL of my grandparents and so did most of my children.  I only met one of my great grandparents and she scared me . . . . she was in a nursing home.  Nursing homes still scare me.

Another perk?  I was the child with the most pictures and moving pictures taken of them.  I never had hand-me-downs.  The only hand-me-down I got was the family car when I turned 16.  A newly painted (I got to pick the color), newly converted (into a BaJa), newly souped up 1966 VW bug.  YAY, for me! 

This has to be in the 70's . . . . . here we are in our polka-dotted
plaid glory . . . . . I'm pretty sure my mom made all our outfits.
She was pretty amazing with a sewing machine. 

I also had the benefit of my parents fortitude . . . . they kept me in piano lessons long term.  A HUGE blessing to me now.  They put me in numerous 4H classes.  I had baton twirling lessons (bet you didn't know that about me!!!), clarinet lessons (with a new instrument!), swim lessons, and whatever else a small town has to offer . . . . which is very meager, believe me.

It is easier to remember the non-perks though.  I had responsibilities.  Whatever my siblings did, somehow could be blamed on me . . . . "how could you let so and so, do such and such?"  I was the babysitter by default.  Wow, I'm drawing a blank.  Maybe the perks were better!

The hardest thing was having to leave home and leave my younger siblings home and miss their growing up years.  Having your parents sell their house, and give you a courtesy call to let you know they'd moved out (hey! I needed to say goodbye to that house!!!)  Having your family go on vacation and you not finding out until after they were back . . . . and other stuff like that.

Such is life.  I don't know if it'd be any better being the baby.  I've watched McKay say goodbye to his older siblings, and the same is happening to him . . . . their lives are marching on and they've left him behind.  Yep, such is life on either end of the spectrum. 

It's funny what pops up in your brain sometimes, I had to memorize this in college:

The Moving Finger writes,

and having writ, Moves on;

nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line.

Omar Khayyam

How did I get there?  Such is a blog . . . . random thoughts thrown up on a page. . . . . hmmmmm, that could have a double meaning . . . . . I like it!

Wordless Wednesday