Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Summer Vacation Week #9

Finally! Progress was made upstairs and a push to take my very last week of summer to finish all the flooring upstairs. I really dilly dallied through the first 2 weeks of August especially on the flooring. Once Monika jumped in to help, we got it done. I have to admit, she did all the really hard work of pounding in the floors. I did all the cutting in the garage and would bring up the pieces to her. We got the room done (see photos below) and I was eager to keep going but we definitely needed a break. We have trim and detail work to do in the middle room and I have to empty out and pull out carpets from my bedroom before moving on. We picked out a very thick, water resistant laminate that was not easy to work with. Hindsight, I really wish we had picked out a flexible vinyl, but oh well. I want a seemless look for whole upstairs and that was why really held things back-- trying to get around the corners of the doorways since the planks were so darned stiff and not easy to work with, but we figured out a way to get done. I finished painting the hallway by buying a long ladder to reach the high ceiling. 

I managed to get in a coffee date with Melissa and Joe this past week which made it a fun week. I am getting excited for school to start. I contacted Josh to make a schedule which we have not had on display for a few years. I also started working on our budget and some department goals. Looking at my schedule for the next year-- I can see it is going to be a good school year. Note: Jim is still up north doing army things, Erika is finishing up her grad classes this weekend, Jessi is still in Finland and Monika is working at REI part time, looking for a full time job and at home helping me with flooring.

Summer Vacation Week #8

August kicked off this week with Jim out on the field with the Army (photo of tent), Monika celebrating the end of her program (photo of her at Charlie concert), Jessi's ship is in Finland (photo with group) and Erika done teaching elementry summer school but still working on her UW coursework. I decided to take the week to fast since I offered my truck to Monika to leave for the week on a mini vacation she kicked off with Charlie XCX concert in Indianapolis. My 5-7 day fast was shortened to only 3 days because I felt so sick. Rather than spend a whole week getting nothing done, I decided to change it up after 3 days of misery. I kept my diet light but with enough to allow to get a bit of exercise in (a walk or yoga) and some housework in. I still lost 3 lbs. While the goal was not to loose weight-- I had read an annual fast could keep cancer and other diseases away-- I'm still trying to get rid of my winter weight and am almost there.

A week without a car means not having a lot of choices on what to do but I've found a bunch of things around the condo. I've cleaned out the junk drawer, cleaned a big corner out in the basement, stained the stairs, started painting the hallway, continue to work on the school newspaper website, met with Melissa for coffee, gave Balt a "bath" out on the front lawn, changed and washed bedding, and made both french onion soup and potato soup, not to mention watching a coupld of movies and a couple of seasons of a tv show. I've got 2 weeks left and I'm starting to get eager to start working on school prep but I'm trying to hold off and keep working on home projects.

Summer Vacation Week #7

Well, July is just about over. I spent my week chipping away at painting our extra bedroom with goal to create a comfortable office space for Jim when he visits, or Monika if she ends up getting a job that offers her the flexibility to work from home. I have to be honest, I did not work more than a few hours a day, so work was slow going. I went to the pool and spent a lot of time just relaxing or hanging out with the girls. I had coffee with a retired teacher friend one morning. Next week I start floors and have my first meeting with students. Summer school is over, so I will start prepping for my fall classess but just a bit. I certainly don't want to work to hard all at once so starting early working a bit at a time. 

Summer Vacation Week #6

I started the week in Rochester and moved back to Madison midweek. Jim had a bunch of army meetings and tasks that I decided I would leave him to do on his own while I went back to Madison to work on remodeling an upper room and get back to the pool and yoga. The first thing on my agenda was seeing the new Thor movie with Monika. We went to a matinee on a Thursday when educators and students get a discount. I am still working on summer school supports and chipping away on updating the student newspaper website. I start meeting with students in August and will start working on prepping for the new semester BUT I am trying not to do too much school work!

 

What I've been watching lately...

Of course once school got out, there was no holding me back and there was so much to watch. The newest Star Trek series; Strange New Worlds is maybe the best the Star Trek series thus far! Jim and I had very long conversation about Star Wars vs. Star Trek (he prefers Star Wars). When asked if I could only choose one (I love both) which would I choose? It's Star Trek, without hesitation. But I still love Star Wars tons and Disney+ has a new series on Obi-Wan Kenobi which I finished while in Norfolk but am watching again with Jim in Rochester. Also in Norfolk, I finished the new Stranger Things season on Netflix with Cody and Megan, which was very fun. This fourth season was a lot creepier and closer to horror than previous seasons. 

I certainly did not neglect the MCU :). In anticipation of the new Thor; Love and Thunder, I decided to watch all the Marvel movies with Thor, which is 7, so that kept me busy for a while. I finished End Game and am waiting to see the new Thor with Monika once I get back to Madison next week. I also downed the new Ms. Marvel on Disney in a couple of days. While not a favorite, I'm still a fan. I loved Captain Marvel more but love the inclusion of Ms. Marvel with Monica Rambeau in the upcoming Marvels movie in 2023.

Persuation on Netflix came out this week and I was dying to watch it and it was everything I wanted it to be. It was wonderful!! I've seen several BBC/tv renditions but this is the first movie of this Jane Austin story I am aware of and it was perfect. 

Summer Vacation Week #5

My second week in Rochester was more productive. Jim and I finished painting the back deck and just need to put a top poly coat on it to protect it. I painted the basement blue, over a puke green both Jim and I hated. We had thought about putting a wainscoat wood panel over the space but I decided it was too much work and easier/cheaper to paint over with some left over blue from Jim's office that we both liked. I purchased a copper decal of a world map to put on the wall and then we have a whole bunch of tiles of travel photos -- mostly of Jim with different family members. I got the first tile of Jim and I in Emma Wood with the idea that we would put together a collection of selfies. Jim turned into lots of pictures of him in all the places he's been, and that's okay.  

On Friday we went to St. Paul again for Jim to do some research. I had hoped to get some geneology work done on my grandma but I had so much other stuff to work on that instead of going into the research library with Jim I sat in a reading room to sort through my calendar, bills, emails and life instead. At some point I want to start working on this novel I've been brewing on for years. It's changed from a total fictional freshman girl to a somewhat memoir account my freshman year in 1979. My memory is so faulty that there's no way to make it a true memoir but I feel the time is so historical-- so changed from what life is like now I would like to explore that part of the story. The more I think about it, the more I want to do it but fear grips me and causes me to procrasitinate.  I know if wait until I retire, I'll be sorry, but once I retire, I will find another reason to put it off. 

Summer Vacation Week #4

The week started in Madison celebrating July 4th on Monday but on Tuesday morning I left for Rochester. The first thing I did was start looking for an outdoor swimming pool. There are not nearly as many in Rochester as there are in Madison, but I found one that was part of an athletic club with tennis courts, an indoor track and a yoga studio. I paid for Jim and I to have guest access for two weeks. It's a bit of a splurg but I have to admit being able to continue my daily swim is very wonderful and keeps me feeling like at least I'm getting something active done everyday!

On Thursday, Jim took me to St. Paul, where the MN capitol is and we visited a couple of museums, including the Historical Society. We plan to go again next week so Jim can do some research. I am hoping to do my own research as well, on my grandma Parris who was born in St. Paul. 

As I approach the middle of summer, I am feeling not so productive -- watching way too much tv and enjoying tons of leisure time in the sunshine. Spending time in Rochester always gives me a hint of life as a retired person. The feeling of knowing I have a million things I can do, but nothing I have to do is difficult and easy. Difficult to figure out where to start but so easy to just put my feet up and enjoy myself. Life in Rochester is very comfortable, but quiet. I ordered some walking sticks so I could get a bit more aggressive about walking. Jim and I worked on some financial paperwork for retirement planning, we cleaned our patio in order to paint the deck this weekend. I brought a few keyboards from the condo basement for Jim to set up here. I've watched a much of MCU movies in preparation for the new Thor movie-- so summer vacation-like!

It's July; Summer Vacation Week #3

Jim drove down yesterday from MN after spending the last few weeks in NJ doing army work and having a few days at home to catch up. We are spending the holiday weekend in Madison so we can spend time with the girls. Last night Monika took Jim to a concert (Disturbed) at Summerfest for his father's day gift. They had a blast. While I know I would have enjoyed the concert tons, I had my turn already.

I have not been too productive this week, but I did start a painting using a new "pourable" paint media that I have not tried before. It is pretty trendy. I am wanting to learn how to do beach and water type paintings. I tried a small resin pour over last summer and then a larger one over winter break but found it so messy and quite expenive. This time I used a waterbased media called floetral. I gathered sand and rocks from the beach by Jessi's house in Ocean View and hope to give this painting to her. We are having an art show in September that I will show it at first, as well as a few others I hope to create before the end of the summer.

Summer Vacation Week #2

I spent my 2nd week of summer vacation in Norfolk enjoying quite a bit of leisure. I was hired to help as a consultant for summer school, so I did spend quite a bit of time this week working on an art class curriculum. I really did not do a lot of work at Jessi's house and felt very much like I was staying at a vacation home. I was so well taken care of by Jessi's housemate and husband, it felt like quite the luxurious week away!

I spent my Sunday driving home with pleasant weather and no traffic. I realized that next time I drive out east or west that doing so on weekends will make a big difference on timing. Weekday traffic in big cities really bog down a drive. I spent a whopping $602 in gasoline! That is more than double what I spent the last time I drove out. I could have flown first class for that much but could not have taken Balt with me. I am reluctant to buy another gas guzzler if gas prices stay this high. Hopefully electric SUVs happen in the future!

Summer Solstice 2022

I'm spending the longest day of the year in Virginia, enjoying the beach and sunshine. I was fully prepared to stay at Jessi's house for a full 2 weeks or leave after a couple of days if I was in the way. Well, I'm not in the way! I created a Google photo album for Jessi of my time. Jessi's house mate, Megan, works with the weather people in the Navy and can track Jessi's movements on the USS Kearsarge, so I know she's over in the Danish Straits currently making her way to France. She told me about a Facebook Group for the ship, where you can see lots of photos (so far none of Jessi). I downloaded a few pics (see left)-- one of the helicopter Jessi flies (she is NOT in the photo). She is not one of those big aircraft carriers, but on an amphibious assault ship that is made for helicopters (not jets) and who's primary mission is to land and support ground forces on enemy territory.  She's been doing exercises with our NATO partners in the Baltic Sea. I have really enjoyed being as close to Jessi as I can get, via her housemate and husband. 

 

Summer Vacation Week #1

I left on Monday for Norfolk but did not arrive until noon on Tuesday. I got caught up in south Chicago traffic for over 2 hours and another hour in Indianapolis traffic, adding almost 4 extra hours to my drive. I decided to stay in Charleston for the night and was so glad I had because the storm that blew in that evening was intense. It made for a very nice drive on Tuesday. I am staying at Jessi's house with Cody, Jessi's husband and Megan, her housemate. Both have to work so I have a lot of time to myself. I've been able to do some gardening, and one project for Jessi (replacing a screen in her porch that her cats ripped up). Cody has a few projects that he's hoping I can help with but he's busy so we haven't as much time to get to them. Megan and Cody took me out to dinner to a very nice place on the water Thursday night which was so sweet! I've been walking to the beach daily and catching up on shows-- very vacation like!

Flag Day?

Today is not only Flag Day, it's my mom's 75's birthday. I listened to a bunch of John Denver songs while driving through West Virginia #almostheaven and cried-- omg, she LOVED John Denver!! I'm spending my first week of Summer at Jessi's house helping out (while she's serving our country in the Baltic Sea). It's exactly how she would want me to celebrate her birthday... cleaning up my daughter's yard (posted on Facebook).

Summer has begun!

While yesterday was my first day off for summer vacation, with graduation duties all morning, really today officially started my summer with "nothing" to do. I kicked off my summer watching Stranger Things season 1. I won't get to the new season until I get to Virginia next week. I'm not doing much this weekend with both Jim and Monika out of town, I decided to keep it all low key. Watching Netflix and not much else (other than swimming).

This past week I posted a long post on my teacher blog that I hadn't kept up over the pandemic but wanted to send something out on social media. It's something I don't really do much anymore. I have a hard enough time keeping up on this blog sometimes, but I have been thinking a lot about life and what to do this summer-- so many options but most are expensive. Driving out to visit Cody when gas prices are at their highest ever is first on my list. There is NOTHING like a road trip to kick off summer.

Yearbook Distribution Time

Due to a labor shortage at the company, our books were delayed several days, but they got to us in time for our planned distribution day on Thursday and it was a grand success! This book may be my most successful-- meaning has the least mistakes. When I asked my principal about what he thought of the book, he said, yeah it's great but he's waiting for the crying mom to call him with whatever complaint is coming. Nice. Obviously, like me, the stress of the crying mom complaint taints whatever is great about the  yearbook. 

Other than the yearbook, I worked to make sure the senior issue of the student newspaper got finished and to print in time for graduation. It's all kind of stressful but I admit not as stressful as years past. I actually made it to the pool this week a couple of times to get a swim in. I've been able to juggle my classes and grading but I've lost several envelopes while I'm running around. When I lose something, I know I'm juggling too much. Luckily I haven't forgotten anything too important. Losing and forgetting stuff happens more often as I age, especially when I'm maxed out. I've been good at managing down time for myself. Running out to Minnesota to visit Jim for the weekend helps. I enjoy the drive, and being at home there is a lot like being on vacation for me. I'm also planning to visit Cody in Virginia as soon as school gets out while Jim is on an army trip on the east coast. 

HAIM Concert with Monika

For Mother's Day, Monika got tickets to see HAIM, a favorite band of mine. On Tuesday, May 31, I left school as early as I could (not that early> 4:30pm) and drove out to Milwaukee in thick traffic. We stopped for dinner at the Milwaukee Public House for vegan sandwiches and then made our way to the BMO Center for an amazing concert. It had been so long since I'd been to a real rock concert. Monika's planning to take Jim to a Disturbed concert for Father's Day! I love having a daughter who's into going to lots of concerts!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Jim came down for the holiday weekend, which is really nice for me since Monika is working a lot this weekend (REI has a big sale) and Erika was going out of town to visit with Kelly's family. I made to the pool to get my swim in. At school, the pool is now empty for it's annual cleaning, so I can no longer swim at lunch during the week. The timing was almost perfect-- I only missed a day of swimming and am back at it at the Shorewood pool! Jim and I had a very nice dinner out Saturday night and on Sunday went to a coffee shop in the morning with Monika. We grilled out for dinner -- hamburgers (vegan meat for me and Monika, regular beef for Jim). On Monday it is supposed to get very hot and humid which will make the pool all the more refreshing! I bought a lot of guess passes this year for Monika and Erika, hoping they will come along more often. 

As the school year winds down, I am very aware how very tired everyone is-- kids and teachers alike. I feel restless and somewhat uneasy-- like I need to be doing something but I don't know what it is. It's an odd feeling and I have it all the time. Well, there are only 5 school days left and the building will be closed over the summer for construction, so whatever I have to do at school will be done soon.

Mid May Getaway

I am up in Rochester for the weekend with Jim. He had an event he wanted me to accompany him to yesterday and then we went out to eat together which is getting more and more expensive these days. Just the drive up really takes a bit out of my wallet because of high gas prices, but it is what it is. The weather cooled down to the 50's but still kind of nice just not as warm as I'd like for sitting out on the patio. Jim fixed up our back patio with flowers and adirondack chairs but the upstairs patio is so much warmer with sunshine. In the future we hope to add a spa (and maybe a sauna) to the back patio but that will have to wait until after I sell the condo. Still we get eager for that future time. Balt loves sitting out front of my place in Madison to watch the traffic view we have. Here in Rochester, he sits in the backyard and watches the passer byers on the state trail pass, which are plentiful enough. 

I have 3 weeks left of school but only 9 days with kids and feeling like I have a ton of work to do. Once Summer hits, I have no definite plans with lots of options but still a feeling total uncertainty-- the pool? yoga? visit Virginia? stay in Rochester? finish remodeling the condo? finish painting the new house? So yes, lots of options, plenty of work but no deadlines.

The Countdown to Summer started.

We had very hot weather this past week. It has felt very summer-like but I have felt like there is so much to do at work, that I haven't been feeling like summer is that close. Jim's summer starts next week. I've got about 18 work days still, only 14 with kids! I have a student teacher who will not be able to take things over, so my plan of having time to clean up the studio may or may not happen. Tomorrow I meet with senior editors to choose future editors who will make big changes next year. In Yearbook we start working on the senior edition of the newspaper, which always marks an end to the school year as well as run yearbook distribution. May is always such a whirlwind of activity. 

I had hoped with the heat would bring a better mood, and I guess it did and yet there's still some sadness hanging around. I miss my mom, and think about wanting to call her too often. I am trying not to worry about Jessi over in Europe doing work in the Baltic Sea (I sent her a big box of treats yesterday). I do enjoy having Erika at work with me and seeing her in the hall often as well as having Monika at home with me cooking, knowing both situations will come to an end in time. I think I have decided to push off retirement for several years now and that uncertainty has been a source of confusion for me. The economic downturn offers a bit more incentive to continue working (my retirement fund has lost tens of thousands this year). Becoming the art department head has me feeling some weight, as we are in this crazy transition time in education. And since I mentioned weight, I am constantly thinking about my actual weight, realizing more and more that the older I get, the less I can eat. By the time I'm 80, I'll be down to a small bowl of oatmeal a day-- haha. 

Here's a photo from the girls soccer game with two of my students who chose me as the teacher to be appreciated. It was wonderful to feel appreciated.

Prom Season

After two years off, we are back to a somewhat normal prom season. At my school every year during Mother's Day weekend is prom. Kids had to wear masks and there was no cake to eat. But what I found interesting was because we hadn't had a prom for 2 years, most kids had no idea what to expect. So many traditions are carried on year after year but when everything stopped for almost 2 years, traditions had a hard time carrying forward. Other than the masks and the lack of cake, I noticed the mismatch of shoes; combat boots with gowns, air jordans with a tux, slippers, sneakers, crocks, rubber sandals, etc. Oh sure, there were plenty of traditional formal shoes too but they were not the norm. I also noticed a lot more gender mixing outfits, boys in prom dresses and girls in suits. Some kids left early because they thought the dance was boring and I heard others exclaiming it was so fun they did not want it to be over. I did my best to make sure everyone got to capture the evening with a photo. I had a couple of underclassmen who had photo experience helping me out. It was a late night for me but luckily I got to sleep in this morning for Mother's day. Erika and Monika took me out for lunch downtown and then Monika and I enjoyed evening watching some tv. The day was cooler than I'd hoped but we are in for some heat later this week. I can't wait!

Hello to May!

The average temperature for May in Wisconsin is supposed to be about 70 degrees. We will barely get into the 60's this week. It's been so cold this spring with few warm days, it has soured my mood. I finally made it to a hot yoga class this past week and it helped warm my bones and stretch my muscles. I need to do this more often but the pandemic kept me away and has kept me wary of going too often. Last week I finished the yearbook, had kids finish the May issue of the school newspaper, finished up the school planner for next year and helped my student teacher finish her first big project in my art class. It was a busy week but the end of the school is near and the light of summer is getting brighter. I just wish it would make things warmer!!

Monika just returned from a trip to Minneapolis where she went to several concerts and visited with friends but she came home with symptoms so COVID may have finally reached us. Jim is in town for the weekend, which is nice for me but I'm hoping he isn't exposed to COVID. The news says that 2/3rd of Americans have had it, so I'm impressed we've managed to keep it at bay for so long, but I'm pretty sure I'm next. My office mate, Patty, just had it last week. I'm still wearing clothe masks and need to step up my game. 

Note: last Sunday I went to my first drag show to see my former middle school art student, Spencer, who goes by his mother's name for shows; The Other Jeannie Retelle, which is pretty funny. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the two of us had a moment during his performance. He stopped to hug me during his dance song and I said I love you in his ear and he turned and told me he love me. It was this really emotional experience for me. He then gave me a shout out afterwards telling the audience I was his art teacher. He was a special student for me, a favorite. It is interesting how some students touch you while they are in your class but a few continue to touch you.