Sunrise, Sunset...

We go from a sunrise in the Smokies to a sunset in the desert. I guess the theme is scenery. I can't paint pictures of people or animals, but I seem to do okay at scenery. I ended up scanning both pictures directly to a file, so some of the picture is missing because the canvas was bigger than the scanner. In the picture of the Smokies, there is supposed to be a pale yellow sun coming out of the clouds at the right of the picture, so imagine it there, if you will.

Other than that, I don't have much to say. In spite of the lovely summer weather, I have been feeling kind of down, which is unusual for me, cockeyed optimist that I usually am. I guess everyone goes through down periods once in a while, but I sure would like to regain my usual cheerfulness. It make life so much better to look through rose-colored glasses than gray-tinted ones, even if it isn't always realistic. I'm sure this will pass, though, because, as you know, life is good...

Oh, Well...

You were going to be "treated" to a picture of my latest painting, of a desert sunset, but I couldn't get it to upload. So you will just have to imagine the silhouettes of saguaro cacti against a background of a sky that darkens from a brilliant yellow to a coral pink to deep purple. Maybe I will try to post it next week when I paint another scene. Otherwise, you will just have to visualize it. I chose the Sonoran desert for a subject because I loved visiting it almost as much as I love the beach, and I knew I needed to paint something different. It turned out pretty well, I guess, but you may never know.

On another note, the old guy and I went to visit Alissa, Andy, and the boys last weekend for the big birthday bash. A good time was had by all. This was our first visit there in almost a year, and it was also our first overnight trip in just about as long. I think the old guy viewed the trip with some trepidation, but we were both pleasantly surprised by how well he did. I know it tired him, but we both saw that he can make short trips like this without too much duress. That's a plus! :)

However, just as we thought it was safe to get back into the water (to quote "Jaws")and health issues were improving, we went to the doctor today to get the results of the monthly bloodwork. While my cholesterol was responding pretty well to the Crestor, it seems I will need a larger dose to get the numbers where the doctor wants them. Not a big deal. Unfortunately, the old guy didn't get as good a report. It seems his creatinine number is up, and the doctor is concerned. This has happened before, and reducing the dose of furosemide has brought the number back where it should be. So he has to cut his dose of furosemide in half and check it again in a few weeks. While this isn't great news, it could be worse. However, the old guy being who he is, is very worried. He has been waiting for the other shoe to drop for some time, and now it has. He said, very seriously, as we came home, that by next year at this time, he will probably be on dialysis! I think he is overreacting, but I do understand. He has been through a lot, and he has grown to always expect the worst. I know he is concerned that he will begin retaining water again. It seems it is a very delicate balance. It promises to be a very long two weeks. Hopefully, he will cheer up some and we can have a grandson visit. That would be diverting--at least for me! :) Anyway, we wait and remember that life is good.

Hmmm....

This seems to be one of those few occasions when I am at a loss for a topic. I like to update the blog around once a week, but my life isn't too exciting these days. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Retirement is far preferable to working, at least the job I had. I always thought I was born to be a teacher (and I do believe you have to be born to it), I loved being a teacher, and I think I was a pretty effective one--when I actually had some say in the way I taught and how my daily routine was organized. Unfortunately, the job of teaching, at least at the school where I worked, is not what it once was. Nowadays, the day is rigidly constructed for you, and all of the lessons must be closely coordinated with the other teachers in your grade. You must all teach the same lessons at the same time each day. Many of the lessons are strictly scripted. There is no room for individual differences in teaching styles or in learning styles and abilities of the students. If they don't get it, too bad. You must be ready to go on to the next lesson when the other classes do. And now, to further complicate things, they are going to try to coordinate throughout the entire district, and students will be tested quarterly on the computer to make sure they are learning the material. There does not seem to be room for the teachable moment or the fun things like art projects or learning centers like we used to employ. It's all business and all about the test scores these days.

Don't get me wrong. I always teamed up with my friend, and we planned our lessons together to teach the same things. However, we didn't necessarily teach the lessons at the same time, and if one of us fell behind a little, the other made changes to fill the extra time. Lesson plans were often revised and carried over if we didn't cover them due to teachable moments, slow learners, or classroom interruptions. We had similar teaching styles, but we weren't clones, and that was fine. Now I feel like a robot could do the job. Of course, I am no longer involved, so maybe it works better than it sounds, and this does seem to be the wave of the future of education. New teachers seem to accept it okay. However, my friends who have been in teaching for awhile don't much like all the new strictures. I guess that's one reason I am glad to be retired. I long for schools to be like the ones I loved as a child, and they are LONG gone. I had thought I would miss my job and the kids when I retired, but oddly enough, I don't. I don't go back to the school to visit, and when school starts next month, I will be glad to be sleeping in!

I'm not saying that I would never be interested in being involved in the schools in some way. I think school is in my blood. I love going into a school and experiencing the familiar sights, sound, and smell that is part and parcel of it. I just want to be there on my own terms--like reading stories to kids or tutoring them in some way--when I feel like it.

Well, it seems I had something to write about, after all. I just had to get rolling! Life is good...

Calgon, Take Me Away...

That used to be the advertising slogan for a brand of bath beads many years ago. A woman who had had a stressful day would get into a bathtub full of Calgon Bath Beads, and immediately she would feel as if she were somewhere far away and fun to be, all alone. Funny, it never worked that way for me. I just felt coated with oil when I tried it. I guess I just have to find other ways to get away.

Thus the picture. I went back to my favorite subject this week and did a watercolor. I do believe acrylic is my medium, but I think I need to branch out once in awhile. Just painting this idyllic scene relaxed me.

That doesn't mean, however, that I don't need a vacation. I really, really do. We live in a very small town about halfway between areas where there are shopping and entertainment venues. We have little of that in Lebanon Junction. When I want or need to do these things, the fastest way to get to where I want to be is by I-65, which is a major north-south artery. People from the north are headed to the beaches in the south, and people from the south are headed to the metropolis's in the north. There are ALWAYS vehicles from all kinds of states on the road, and it is even more crowded with travelers this time of year. This makes me very jealous. There is not an occasion when I get on that road in either direction that I would not like to just keep on going. I guess that, unlike Alissa and her dad, I was just born with the wanderlust, which it seems only Doug, the youngest, has inherited. It doesn't appear as if a long vacation is in the near future for me, and I understand why. However, I must admit to getting very restless at this time of year and wishing to go somewhere, anywhere.

Fortunately for me, our grandsons are having their annual birthday bash next week, and their grandfather wants to go. I have made reservations at a motel with a pool for two nights, and I am planning to make the best of them. We probably could get by with only staying one night, but Terry doesn't have all that much stamina yet, and I thought it would be hard for him to make the drive and the party in all one day. And this way, we get to see each of the boys on his very own birthday. This will be my summer vacation.

Not only that, I will get a short trip in the fall, too, as Chip and Shira are planning a destination wedding in Pigeon Forge, TN. This makes another weekend trip, since it is about 5 hours away. And the parents of the groom must be there, after all.

See, I just need to be patient. Even if I am not making the trip from Vancouver, B.C. all the way down the west coast to Ensenada, Mexico, this year, I am not giving up on it just yet. I probably should, but that's the trip I have always wanted to take, and maybe one of these days it will happen. Meanwhile, I will be content with short trips to Hopkinsville, KY and Pigeon Forge, TN and be grateful to the kids who are making this opportunity possible for me! Life is good...