Teri Parris Ford's Blog

New Semester, New Projects

The first day of the 2nd semester is Monday. The school year is half way done and the second half always goes faster. I have a great schedule to look forward to but a move in the middle of the semester due to construction. I'm not sure how it will all play out, but I'm ready for the change. Everything changes and life feels so different sometimes. 

I spent this morning painting a wall white in the living room.  I have big plans for re-tiling the fireplace which I hope to do this spring as well as finish painting the ceiling and trim. I'm chipping away at re-doing everything. There are so many projects to choose from every week to work on, but there also seems to be plenty of time for tv too! It's hard to make sure things stay in balance.

Mid January 2023

When I see 2023 written down, it seems so futurist. I realized that several movies have depicted 2023 in the past and the majority of them take place in dystopian, war-torn societies. Luckily that's not my experience. So far 2023 has started off with a bang, enjoying a wonderful vacation with Jim in Germany and having all three girls settled in jobs they love. While dramas play out in our world, I haven't got much in my life. Balt is dealing with some discomfort, but is on pain meds to make his life easier. I have to make a big decision soon on when or whether to let him go. I know my mom would be eager to put him down (she actually told me to put him down back when she was alive), but for the past 11 years he's been such a big part of my life and that change will be difficult. Although the idea of not having to pick up poop constantly is very appealing. 

Last weekend I was able to upload my 1 Second a Day video for 2022. I had to speed it up to fit under 5 minutes so it's actually more like 1 Second for 2 Days and I picked one of my top 5 songs for the year to accompany. It's a pretty accurate depiction of my year-- nothing too exciting, lots of driving and a bit of fun here and there. I can only hop 2023 is just as exciting. 

Week in Cologne

The day after Xmas Jim took me to Germany for the holidays. He loves all things German at this time of year. I've often wondered how nice it might have been if he'd studied Italian or Greek history instead of German?? I do admit that our German visits are very nice so I'm not complaining. We've been living on pretzels, brats, salami, cheese and coffee, wondering cobblestone streets and visiting museums, Christmas markets and cathedrals. We took a bus from Madison to Chicago and flew to Frankfurt. We made it to Cologne the next morning by train. This is both of our first trips to this part of the country. Cologne is an amazing city and a great place to party in the new year. The fireworks started at 8pm and went on until nearly 2am. The train station is right across from the large gothic cathedral which wasn't actually finished until 1880. There are a dozen Roman churches, all rebuilt after WW2, around the city as well. We visited a modern art museum, chocolate museum and the first cologne shop as well as daily trips the Christmas markets. The weather has been so mild with bouts of rain occasionally. 

We are currently on the train to Berlin where we will take a second week of shopping and wondering. Jim has been to Berlin several times, and my second time. We both have a list of things to do. But throughout this trip I've gotten more sleep than I have in months along with plenty of exercise. It's the vacation I needed!! 

Vegan Tamales

I grew up with tamales for xmas but I don't have any memories of anyone making them. My grandma and aunt used to make them when I was not around, so I never got a chance to catch their recipes or methods but I caught once that they purchased premade masa at the grocery story, which in Los Angeles would not have been unusual. After my aunt died, my grandmother would purchase tamales from neighbors or friends who made them and then after my grandmother died, my mom began to do the same thing-- purchase them from others who made them. My mom was not a cook. I started trying to figure out how to make tamales on my own once the girls were old enough to be able to help. I wanted them to have some of the traditions I had grown up with-- like tamales for xmas. I started my search for a recipe talking to my cousins, hoping one of them might have been witness to the process-- nope. My memories as a kid were of pork tamales with a lot of fat included. I recall my grandma telling me "I got a good one" when I complained about one tamale being filled only with fat and no meat. After my dad's heart attack I remember there being chicken tamale options instead of pork, but my favorite tamales were always the sweat ones with raisins and nuts.

I've posted about making tamales in the past (2019) (2008) but my recipes are evolving as we have become more health conscious and get more creative with our fillings! This year I used my traditional recipe 4 cups of masa, 4 cups of broth, 1 tb baking powder and 1 cup shortening with a veggie broth (not homemade) and vegan shortening. I thought the masa was a bit bland but I'm not sure if that's because my taste buds are getting old or if I just miss using meat based broth. This year we had 3 different flavors. I roasted poblano peppers and added sprinkled vegan mozzarella cheese. I fried up soy chorizo with peppers and onions, and I pressure cooked up some pinto beans that I refried and added in vegan cheddar cheese. I grew up with roasted Anaheim peppers used for salsa and cooking in California but my local grocery store did not have any available (not even in a can) so poblanos were the next best and I must admit, the pepper and cheese ones are my favorite with the most flavor! The bean option is definitely the most bland. This year I did not double wrap my tamales to steam since I wasn't giving any away nor did I tie color coded ribbons on any of them to identify them since we only made vegan options. 

I'm on vacation

Vacation this year is a little weird. Our 16th week of school only had 2 days with vacation starting on a Wednesday. I had so much work to do, I actually went into work anyway to finish up a bunch of things mostly with the yearbook. I also took Balt to the vet to discuss incontinence issues he's having. We ended up talking about end of life options instead of treatment options as I had hoped. It's not an easy decision but I can hear my mom telling me to put him down. We decided on doubling up his pain medication to see if that helps-- 2 types, twice a day. 

Thursday ended up bringing a winter storm with frigid temperatures and blustery winds and was a snow day for many school districts still in school. I spent the whole day in comfy clothes and never left home. For me, it was my first day feeling like I was on vacation. Monika and I made vegan tamales with poblano chilies, soy chorizo, vegan cheese and homemade pinto refried beans. I let them steam all day while I did some organizing of files and bit of cleaning. I'm trying to get the garage cleared out enough so when Jim comes he can park in there. It won't be easy. Because of the weather he delayed coming to Madison until Xmas eve which just gives us both more time to get things done before being able to really enjoy vacation. He's grading papers which I'm happy to have him stay in Rochester to finish so he won't bring it here. 

Happy Holidays!

The back of the card says, "2022 kept everyone healthy & safe. Teri & Erika continued their work at Vel Phillips Memorial High School. Jessi was sent out to see on the USS Kearsarge, visiting many countries on the Baltic Sea. Monika finished her programming certification and got a job in Madison. Jim continues to work at the University of Minnesota Rochester. Love & peace for all for a happy 2023. 

I ordered very few printed cards this year knowing I would post an electronic version for friends on line. I also wanted to fill in a bit more information for the year. Erika and I were offered the opportunity to team teach an art class for students with disabilities. It has been an amazing experience for me to see Erika upclose professionally. She is a really great teacher. Jessika spent most of the year abroad visiting a lot of wonderful places on the Baltic Sea and although she is back home, she is still at sea flying a helicopter on the USS Kearsarge on the Atlantic. Monika spent the year living with me cooking a lot of amazing vegan food which was wonderful. I felt like I had my own personal chef most days. After finishing her programming program, she spent a lot of time putting together a showcase resume which helped her land a great job here in Madison. She is a Digital Marketing Coordinator for the Overture Center and I'm so excited about the prospect of getting more opportunities to get out to the theater. Jim is still doing the history professor thing in Minnesota as well as being a Major in the Army (serving at Fort Snelling) and a homeowner so he's too busy. We are both really looking forward to retirement in a few years which will give us more time to ourselves. Yes, I'm on countdown. Blat was left out of this year's card but I included him here for you. He's losing a lot of mobility but still a happy part of our family!

I love hearing from my friends, seeing posts on social media, texts, messages and especially xmas cards. From our family, wishing love and peace to you all and a very happy 2023!

Holidays are here.

Last weekend I wanted to set up a xmas tree but Jim reminded me that all of our holiday stuff was in Rochester. Oh well. On Saturday I went into school to help set up for the sale and clean up some stuff in the back of the old gallery. I found an small plastic tree that had been used for display. I brought it home and set it up. Even Monika liked it as it was fake and only had lights- no ornaments. I also made chocolate covered pretzels for the sale but it is a holiday tradition for me now. 

The fridge went out again, so I got myself a new one for christmas. It doesn't get delivered until Thursday so in the meantime we have our frozen food out in the garden box outside. I need to transfer the fridge stuff into the garage soon since it's losing cold more. I've been feeling kind of blue lately and am guessing I just need a break. I'm on countdown for the semester with my students-- 15 days-- but only 6 days until vacation.

It's December!

We found out this week that our department will be moving out of our classroom spaces and into our new space this February. We had planned not to have to move for another year and suddenly that plan has changed. It will certainly make for a very interesting 2nd semester.  It also means I will have a couple years in the new spaces before retiring now which I have mixed feelings about. I have always loved the unique space I work in -- an open concept classroom which was popular in the early 70's. The idea that all classrooms are connected and open seemed cool at one time but is pretty unpractical. It means you have to really like the people you work with because they are often passing thru your room and you can hear the music they are listening to. It always drove me crazy when Geof listened to old 70's stuff (Neil Young was the worst). Now I am usually stuck listening to Grace's music which isn't too bad but every so often, I'm hating it. I think that will be the one thing I am most looking forward to -- being able to play my own music without feeling like I'm imposing that music on other teachers. 

Over thanksgiving my heater started having issues so I had to call in someone to fix it. I was asked to clear out the space around the heater which made a huge mess in my basement. I spent today finally cleaning it all up. I vacuumed piles of dust and cobwebs as well. I got my treadmill going again. Also, Monika and I got up early to get to the Hoofer's sale. She wanted snowboard boots and I wanted cross country skiis. I got my skis but she did not find any boots. I am looking forward to a big snow fall hopefully soon to test out my new skis!

Happy Thanksgiving

The year Jim and I got married (1988) we started celebrating Thanksgiving a part from extended family. As educators, November is just a busy time and we always needed the break to catch up and traveling made it complicated. Every year circumstances change but staying home is always the most relaxing way to do Thanksgiving. Erika had a lot of homework as she's working on her masters and was glad we were not traveling this year. As much as I love visiting Jessi, she prefered to make the trip to Madison this year.

Jim and I were talking about the days from our youth, and how that seemed like a different life. It does seem so weird to think about going to my grandma's house for holidays and thinking that memories I have of my grandma are of her being about my age now. I'm not sure I'll ever get to be a grandma, but I know that will change life again big time. There are clear stages that I can see now in hindsight; childhood, young adulthood, parenthood with young children, parenthood with teens and young adults. This "empty nest" stage I'm in now is complicated with having two homes, in two states, so there is a lot of back and forth for Jim and I, but in general it a very simplified life, compared to past stages. There is a lot of freedom. I shared with a friend getting close to 50, I definitely have felt that the 50's have been the best times of my life. 

We went around the thanksgiving table to share what each of us were thankful for. It was a funny practice for us because we used to force the girls to do this in the past and now they were leading it. Good health,life, homes, and jobs were all mentioned. We are quite the blessed bunch.

Failure

I set out to write every day in the month of November but I failed after 2 weeks. Life got busy and felt too mundane to write about and then I got sick with a cold (not COVID). November always gets busy at school as basketball season starts, kids move all activities indoors, parent teacher conferences hit, and yearbook deadlines loom. I was a bit surprised how adding department chair duties added to the stress with extra meetings and the need to keep things organized. I have prioritized swimming at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursday but got really lax on exercise for the rest of the week. I've given up hot yoga to save funds and Balt no longer will walk in the morning or afterschool with me.

I left work this evening connecting with Joe and feeling so thankful for friendships I have. I feel supported and connected. I love team teaching with Erika. Knowing I can leave at the end of the year if I want without any negative repercussion offers a lot of freedom. I headed out for my thanksgiving holiday feeling so thankful for the special people in my life, my healthy children, and my comfortable homes.

Winter is Coming...

We had significant temperature drops this weekend. Jim and I walked to Starbucks for coffee and boy, was it cold (27). I pulled out my fleece crazy quilt for my bed which is a lot more cozy to sleep with. We made big fires in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening-- it's fire season. Balt still likes to go out in the cold but the cats not as much. Lewy always seems kind of upset, like he wants to go out in nice weather but that's not what I'm giving him. I spent some time cleaning, some time prepping stuff for a holiday sale and a bunch of time watching House of the Dragon on HBO. Monika made soup for dinner and we had a grand evening.

More Celebrations

I have taught my children to celebrate themselves, not for one day but always more! I'm always happy to see my girls taking several days to celebrate their birthdays. I try to take a week to a month to celebrate my birthday now. Jim came down for the weekend to take Erika out for Mexican. We went to a place we had not been for at least 5 years. We had a great meal together. Jim and I went home to enjoy some tv and treats. Monika got home from work and we made a big fire and watched 2 episodes of the new Emily Blunt show (The English). It is always fun having Jim visit but it is a bit more comfortable at his place. 

Erika's Day

We both had to work and she had a bunch of meetings but we still managed to make time to go out to lunch. We popped into the AT&T store first to have them switch over her phone. I got the new 14 pro for my birthday so I gave her my 12 to replace her old 10. I get a new phone about every other year and then pass on my old phone to one of the kids or Jim typically. Monika and Jessika have given up waiting for me and now just get the phones they want when they want them. I recall giving my original iPhone to Monika when she was in middle school. It was her first phone and her friends were all pretty impressed she had an iphone even if it was kind of old at the time. 

Monika had to work, and Erika had errands to run after work so we waited a until after 6pm to meet up at Nitty Gritty for a birthday celebration dinner. Erika's boyfriend paid and it was lots of fun. I have to admit, I so very much enjoy spending time with Erika even after working with her during the day. Monika often has to tell us to stop talking about work though. While at dinner Monika read us an email offering her a job. She has been on the job market since summer but very picky about applying, wanting a specific field and culture. We are hoping her new adventure will be a good one.

Warm Weather Ends Today

It was so warm today-- over 70, I was sweating at work. Our classroom had the heat on but because it was so warm outside, it just felt like a sauna. This evening a cold front is coming in and we should drop to 30 degrees tomorrow. I think our mild weather might be done for the year but with global warming, who knows? Last winter was not so snowy or all that cold, so perhaps that is how it will be from now on? We had a fire drill during 3rd hour and it was glorious outside. Joe had the garage door open and sent his kids out to take photos. I left for lunch after a swim, to get a burrito and enjoyed the mild weather-- humid, breezy and so comfortable.  I love swimming at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursday. I always think about Jessi when I swim. I miss the days of waiting for her practice to be done or watching her compete in the pool. 

 

Jessi's Day

Jessi turned 28 today. I called her but she didn't pick up. She mentioned being busy on her birthday with a flight and Navy duties. I am really looking forward to hopefully seeing her on Thanksgiving. Plans are still up in the air. We originally planned to see her in Virginia but she said she preferred coming to us after all. Plans may change again, we'll see.

I'm half way thru a busy week. I left work after 5pm and the weather was just amazing. It made me wish I had more time to spend outside. I've worked thru lunch today in order to chip away at the long list of things I need to do. I had an afterschool meeting and then chipped away at more work. I've been getting into work early as well. Just so I can get to a place where I feel like I've got it all under control within the work day without a lot of extra time. It's funny how the load ebbs and flows. 

On the bright side, other than great weather, that big red wave that was supposed to happen yesterday did not materialize and the bad news I was dredging this morning was not so bad afterall. Beto lost in Texas and Barnes lost here in Wisconsin-- those were my biggest disappointments

Election Day

I left the house early this morning to get to the polls as it opened. There was a long line but once the polls opened up the line went quickly. I voted straight Democratic without hesitation.The older I get, the more; liberal I feel. Liberal, as in libertarian, really. Watching election results is difficult. Everything is so tight and I'm pretty sure I won't get any final results before I go to bed. It will be hard to take a "big red wave" especially with a but of maga republicans. I understand normal conservatives, it's the trump-types I totally don't get. It is the election deniers that has me fearful for our democracy and it's survival. Having lived in Wisconsin for over 30 years now, I've learned how the republicans here have twisted the balance in their favor thru gerrymandering. It's just so unfair.

Other than vote, all I did was work and I worked late. I am feeling like I have a ton of work to do this week so I decided I would eat at school this week and keep working thru my prep time as well stay late in order to catch up. I should be caught up by the end of the week.

 

Birthday week ahead!

Balt's birthday really kicks of the birthday week; Balt's on the 5th (along with my nephew), Jessi's on the 9th, Erika's on the 11th (Veterans Day) and then Joe's on the 12th. Back when the girls were in school, working and/or doing sports, busy with friends, it all made for a crazy week. I was thinking about how much I used to accomplish back then (10 years ago) in any given day, with all the picking up and errands on top of school work and general clean up. Now I can't seem to get anything other than work done on most days and just that is exhausting most days. My work day seems to go so quickly and I never get enough done. Birthday week is when life starts to get busier for the holidays and with work as well BUT now things are so different. The girls are all on their own, pretty much. I certainly don't do any picking up or dropping off anymore. Balt no longer needs walks in the morning or afternoons, although I still should be walking. Life is so much easier and yet I seem to have less energy?

Breakfast with Monika

Monika has been living with me for well over a year now. I enjoy having her home. She's a great cook but not so great at cleaning up. I see it as my payment for having a personal vegan chef and it's not a bad set up. She cooks, I clean and I don't mind. We rarely go out to eat but this morning we went downtown to a hot pancake place with a long line. It was good but not that much better than Hyvee's breakfast in Rochester with Jim... but Hyvee doesn't offer a vegan option and this hot spot does. 

For the past few years, I have enjoyed living with Erika and then Monika at different times, allowing each of them time to save money, go to school, work without bills. Monika is on the job market and looking for something locally, hoping to spend her first year working and living at home to save up for her first home. It's a great plan and I'm eager to see how it pans out.

Erika spent the night last week and Monika said that if she moved back home, we'd go crazy. Luckily there's no need to have more than one kid home at a time. I think back to the times when all three of them lived at home as teenagers and it's amazing we all survived.

Living for the Weekend

The work weeks are busy but go by quickly. Friday is everyone's favorite day at school, although Mondays aren't bad only because they are always short. But the reality is I love Saturdays and Sundays best. I'm so eager for the weekend with "nothing to do", especially after a couple of busy travel weekends. I had nothing but cleaning to do this weekend; change bedding, vacuum, laundry, clean out the fridge, pick up veggies, and grocery shop. I wanted to clean the basement and garage, but I just didn't have it in me. I did a little bit of this and that but not the overhaul I planned. I ended up making more soap, a sugar scrub and body oil. I'm hoping to sell some at the art sale as well as give some away for xmas. I made a big fire, watched the news and a movie, made roasted roots for dinner and just enjoyed a relaxing Saturday. Every since we stopped going to church, Sundays became wonderful. They are a day that is totally stress free now, a total gift.

Vote like it's 2022

Because I am married to a historian, I am often told about the similarities to what is happening in our country today with things that happened in the past to other countries that turned to fascism-- especially Nazi Germany, since Germany was Jim's country of expertise (we lived there for him to do his research in 1991). I see the crazy things that are happening in our economy, elections, in our culture and our courts and wonder how we will survive all this as a country. While I am not a historian, I know we have survived worse in our past and I have hope, but what is happening now feels scary.

I am a bit relieved that my dad is not around for all these culture arguments. I once had a pretty heated argument about gender and bathroom use with him that had me yell at him angrily for the first time in my life. It was so unsettling and I know we would be arguing over a lot of current issues if he were around. I felt like he was so backward and old fashioned. I know that his mindset sees things not as backward but as "traditional" and I often feel "ol' fashioned" in educational settings-- especially when it comes to discipline. A teacher once told me we needed to round up the kids the kids in the hall and take them to gym for disciplinary action, "like we used to!" While I was thinking, "yeah!!" I knew it was not the answer-- we've evolved since then.

Anyway, I posted the above image in my Facebook banner because I've been thinking a lot about the way things are different and yet the same. Sure, we've "evolved" as a society and things are better in general (certain more comfortable) and yet it seems women are still fighting for their rights, fascism is still around and economic inequality is as bad as it ever was 100 years ago. In my own thinking I've really changed and grown in the way I vote. I used to be a one issue voter-- pro-life all the way. Although I feel pro-life, I am actually now pro-science. I have educated myself to understand that an abortion is not murder but a medical procedure many women need who have had miscarriages or are in life endangering situations. Women and doctors need to be able to make those medical decisions. I think eventually science will be able to fix the problem of unwanted pregnancy in the future without the need to dispose of a healthy fetus (maybe I've watched too many science fiction shows but it seems so probable to me).  I am no longer a one issue voter. It's hard not to get emotional when voting. I think anyone who is running for office and does not hold to democratic outcomes should be disqualified and it's crazy to me to see SO many people running who claim elections are rigged and yet are still running. What in the world!!?