Happiness is...

A 'good morning' chat with my sister

Sunny, 60 degree weather

A brisk walk around Green Lake(2.8 miles)

Enjoying a fine spring day 

The love and support of family and friends

Start of the path 

Fishing Green Lake

Beautiful reflections

Second grade is hard!! Or...Teachers are my heroes!

I volunteer in my friend's 2nd grade classroom on Monday mornings.  I usually help with reading and reading comprehension and sometimes simple writing exercises.  This past Monday was no different, except that it was.

My friend informs me as I get settled into the classroom yesterday.."we are going to be working on a persuasive paper today, they have their outlines finished and are ready to write".  Huh? I think my look of blank perplexity said it all.  Really??  Outlines? They write outlines in second grade?  A persuasive paper?  I don't think that I even knew what this was until I took Speech in college.  I almost didn't know what she meant until she refreshed my memory.  Now I am really nervous.  I don't know how to write a persuasive paper!

So off we went into the world of writing with 2nd graders.  What an adventure.

One little boy writes..."Dear Mrs W.  I demand that you teach more science.  Science is cool.  It is good for your brain and you get to learn about space and black holes and your body."  He goes on to say that he is her best student and deserves more science.  If I were her, I'd be doing up a science unit real soon. He really is one smart little dude.

Another little boy wants to persuade his mom to let him have a pickle before dinner because it will make him grow big and strong.  He had some very good facts to back himself up with as well.  He stated his case...pickles are vegetables and won't ruin his dinner, he loves them, and deserves them because he does his homework, cleans his room until it sparkles and because once again, he loves them.  I don't know about you but I am convinced that he deserves a pickle before dinner.  I hope his mom thinks so too.

After 2 hours of this I went home exhausted and wondered if it was too early for a glass of wine.

Hmmm....red or white

Happiness is...

the warmth of the sun on my face

blue sky

daffodils

pink and white blossoming trees

cadbury milk chocolate mini birds eggs

the aroma of fresh cut spring grass

every shade of green

Really?!

I will never underestimate the power of my yearly 'routine' mammogram again.  Two suspicious areas, an ultrasound, more films taken and a sterotactic left breast biopsy and MRI done this past week have uncovered DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) and a high risk papilloma.  My poor left breast is very unhappy.  The sterotactic biopsy was most unpleasant on several levels.

So now I am on a new journey of education and decisions.  Thank goodness for the internet!!  Easy to get information, some of it very good and some eye rollingly over the top for me.   I've started to make my long list of questions for my surgeon with the help of family and friends who have been wonderfully supportive, and we've only just begun.

I vow to keep my sense of humor, eat well, get plenty of sleep and at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, as well as a goodly amount of time knitting/crocheting/spinning or quilting because that is good for my soul.  Oh, and reading.  Can't forget that.

And laugh!!  This photo was taken on our last night in Porto Portugal...I had just set the timer on my camera, ran to sit back down, and this seagull runs up to the camera, pecks at the lens, and steals the scene.  I know, you had to be there to appreciate the humor but we were in hysterics, fueled by copious amounts of wine, over this photo.

Dish Rags

Everyone needs them right?  Unless you are a sponge person which I have never been.  My mother thought sponges were carriers of evil bacteria and would not allow them in her kitchen.  Hence, dish rags.  This batch is for the Sons of Norway pancake breakfast craft sale tomorrow.