Teri Parris Ford's Blog

California Summer Day 17

More professional development today kept me busier than normal. My brother had to come over to take my mom to her appointment for an MRI and CAT scan. I was really glad he could do it so I could attend to my meetings without distraction. He told me the next appointment she has, she'll need a wheel chair as he struggled to get her back to the car after her appointment. As she gets weaker and needs more assistance, I am quite aware that I'm not a great caretaker. My mom has complained that I'm too rough and she isn't always a fan of my cooking. Today she asked when Erika was coming back and I realized she missed Erika, which is good. 

After my PD, I got a swim in and had a late lunch with Jim. I worked a bit in the garage and did some laundry. I chatted with Monika who mentioned it was really hot in Michigan. This photo was posted on social media of the staff of Song of the Morning, where she's working now.

California Summer Day 16: Professional Development

Way back when things were "normal" I had planned to come to California as soon as school got out and had not planned to participate in any Professional Development back in Madison then things went virtual. I readily signed up knowing I could just as easily do the zoom meetings from my mom's place as I would from my own. Well, it is a bit more complicated here as my mom was not feeling well today, so I had to take a few more breaks to check in as well as get her breakfast, etc. Luckily the lunch break timed perfectly for breakfast time in California. Tomorrow, my mom as a MRI and CAT scan that my brother will take her to so I can do my meetings.

After the PD, I got a swim in, made stir fry and watched the 5th Harry Potter. 

California Summer Day 15

It cooled way off today and felt very beachy (not like the high desert area my mom lives in). I wore a light sweatshirt all day. Jim and I went for a 4 mile walk and stopped at Starbucks for breakfast. He got a swim in after while I started cleaning the garage. I started going through my mom's cabinets, mostly re-organizing. I did this 3 years ago but with my mom making sure I did not get rid of anything before. This time she's too sick to hover much so I can thin things out --although my mom has caught on to my way of cleaning and asked me to please not toss out as much, while my brother is asking me to throw out as much as I possibly can. It is a balancing act that is not too difficult. There was thick dust everywhere, so regardless of keeping or tossing, I cleaned and organized. My brother has a load of stuff adding to the mess in order to clear out his garage space to build my mom an apartment which is all on hold because of the pandemic. I was supposed to be packing everything this month instead I'm just thinning things down to make it easier to pack later. My nieces came over to swim and I let them pick through things to keep. They took a couple of basket purses, a couple of digital cameras and a printer ( my mom still has 2 more printers). I spent most of the day in the garage with a stop for lunch (Jim bought pizza that was yummy). 

Note: yesterday was so non-eventful I forgot to post a blog; long dogwalk (which Balt is still sore from), coffee, swimming and my brother came over.

California Summer Day 13

It's hard to believe I've been in CA for two weeks already. I haven't gotten quite as much done as I'd have liked but I've enjoyed swimming and sunshine. Jim and I walked to Starbucks again this morning and enjoyed some time on their patio. Jim went on a hike with his brother and I worked in the garage packing stuff up. I did a quick trip to Goodwill only to find there was a long line. They only take stuff for about an hour in the morning, so there was a 20 car line around the building. I took Balt with me and we spent the time waiting listening to music and chewing on ice cubes. I know my mom is not too happy about my cleaning up her stuff, but I'm hoping she understands I'm trying to make things easier not only for her, but for my brother and I as we take over the house. 

I made a nice lunch for Jim and I and then we went swimming. My mom who was not feeling well, ate later than usual. Once she felt better, she went outside to water. I chatted with Monika for a bit and finished the evening off watching the 2nd Harry Potter movie (I watched the first one in bit in pieces for the past week).

California Summer Day 12

I continued cleaning in my mom's room today but not until Jim and I had a walk to Starbucks. My brother came over to drop off my dad's truck that he had borrowed. His two daughters came along and I let them sort through the stuff I had thinned out from my mom's house and had in boxes in the garage. I made green enchiladas for lunch with beans and fajita veggies on the side. I let my mom have some of my diet coke and I knew if Erika knew how much I was letting my mom cheat with artificial sweeteners, tortillas and bread, she'd be yelling at me. But my mom's diabetic numbers have fairly okay. 

I made sure to get a swim in today and got a little bit of computer work done. I continue to work on the puzzle in the dinning room, so that when my mom is watching tv, I have something to do. Typically she doesn't watch anything I'm interested in-- preaching on TBN, Magnum PI, Andy Griffith, or PBS programming seems to be her favorites. 

California Summer Days 10/11

I finally tackled my mom's room. She has 2 tall filing cabinets full of decades of paperwork that I'm sorting and shredding. I'm hoping to get it down to one. Her desk area had enough office supplies for a small school. I wanted to go through her clothing and do a "Marie Kondo" but I'm not sure how that will go over at this point. I get side tracked taking photos of old photos and ribbons and reading cards and letters. My aunt Susie sent lots of letters to my dad apparently which my mom kept for him but they are both gone. The letters are very mundane and don't seem worth keeping but I had read them all to make sure. It's all slow going. 

Today Jim came by early afternoon and we went for a walk to Starbucks for iced tea (it was 90). While he went swimming I continued cleaning and then stopped to get a swim in as well. We then went to In N Out for dinner (protein style double doubles and a hamburger for my mom). Luckily Jim doesn't mind my addiction. Note: yesterday was very uneventful (just cleaning, swimming and yoga) so I neglected the blog.

California Summer Day 9

I got back to cleaning today. I moved into my mom's room but only started. I finished her office space and bathroom and then pulled out the mop and decided to do floors all upstairs. Her bedroom is kind of overwhelming, so I'm reluctant because so much of the space is all her personal stuff. I'm finding lots of photos (like this one) and documenting them for myself. Some photos that I gave her and I have originals, I'm tossing. I'm putting my brother's in a pile for him. Eventually everything will need to be dealt with, but we're not there yet.

I stopped around 2pm to get a swim in and make a late lunch. I made the mistake of getting my mom a bag of chips she asked for the other day and now her diabetic numbers are high because she keeps snacking on them and I feel bad. She asks me for candy or popsicles daily. I've got to be more vigilant. I'd hate to be the reason she dies. Between the pandemic and feeding her I have to be so careful. She doesn't make it easy!   

California Summer Father's Day

I took today off on doing much work. I set up a puzzle yesterday, hoping my mom might work on it instead of watching tv sometimes. I'll probably ended up working on it the most but it's a nice break. I slept in until after 6am and walked Balt. I made coffee and watched the news. Jim came over for lunch and we got a pizza to go. We had a leisure lunch out on the patio and chit chatted for a while. I went for a swim and worked on the puzzle while Jim went for a swim. The puzzle is kind of difficult! It's going to take me a while to get it done. Anyway, I think it was a very nice Father's Day for Jim and certainly a nice time to have have together.  

California Summer Days 6 & 7

I'm getting in a groove of getting up and dealing with Balt, enjoying some coffee, reading the news and then getting to work. I'm trying to organize rooms and closets. I'm currently just bringing stuff down to the garage but Friday night I had to start organizing the garage as I was running out of floor space. I make sure to stop for a swim and lunch. I have to take lots of breaks to check in with my mom who is doing well and seems to be more active as the week has progressed. I feel like I'm making lots of progress upstairs as rooms get cleaned out.

Friday Jim came over in time for us to go to Costco. We got there right as it opened and found it was pretty crowded but everyone had masks on which is now mandatory in California. I popped over to Stater Bros. for the few things we didn't get at Costco. I made enchiladas for lunch. It is nice having Jim in town as well.

California Summer Day 5

Upstairs, there are 5 bedrooms. Erika has taken over 3. What used to be my dad's room, is now mine. Erika started using it but did not like how firm my bed was and switched to the guest room (which had been both mine and my brother's room at different times in our lives). It is now referred to "the cork room" because my brother added cork to all the walls to make it more sound proof. Yesterday, I clean out that room and mine (which was already pretty sparse). Today I attacked what my used to call the sewing room but Erika has turned into a yoga room. While the room was pretty empty, the closet was not. Erika had simply shoved everything in there out of sight. I spent most of the morning sorting through sewing supplies, old photos and random stuff. I also got to the bathroom which had a combination of stuff left from dad (who died 3 years ago), me and Erika. It was not as bad as my mom's bathroom actually. 

After a good morning of work in, I got in my swim and then went out to lunch with Jim (In N Out). We lounged about for a bit enjoying the perfect California weather and then he returned to his mom's and I joined mine to watch some news. I ended the evening with a yoga class on line and am ready for bed now.

California Summer Day 4

Jim and I drove Erika all the way to LAX. In the past we always use the Van Nuys Flyaway (a commuter bus to LAX) but because of the pandemic, I read that one of the riskiest parts of flying was using a ride service. Apparently once at the airport, if you practice social distancing, it is supposed to be safe. Once Erika returns, we will get her a Covid test to make sure she is safe to be with my mom. Jim and I enjoyed a very pleasant ride home. The upside of the pandemic is the LA traffic isn't so bad.

Once she was gone, I started cleaning her room and boy, did her space need cleaning and clearing. I spent most of the day dealing with it but took a break to make a late lunch for my mom and go for a swim. I got back to work scrubbing, vacuuming and organizing. I feel like I got a lot accomplished!

California Summer Day 3

Weather-wise, it was a perfect day. Certainly warm enough for a great swim workout (20 minutes), but not too hot to get house work done. I'm not working too hard, but certainly getting a little done everyday. My brother swung by late this morning for a quick visit. He helped me get the trash cans and an old mattress out to the curb for pickup. I had a newspaper club zoom meeting in the afternoon that I did by the pool. My mom and I had leftovers for a late lunch but Jim took Erika out for Mexican to celebrate her finishing yoga teacher training. She leaves in the morning for her "summer break." 

California Summer Day 2

I slept in a bit because Balt didn't seem to want to get out of bed which was fine. It's summer vacation. I enjoyed a nice morning, cleaned a bathroom and did some vacuuming and swam. I washed my car and then picked up Jim, who started to walk over to my mom's from his mom's. We enjoyed some time on the patio and then I took him home. 

California Summer Day 1; Happy Birthday

So my mom thinks today was her 74th birthday but it ends up she only turned 73 today. It was my first full day in California and I spent the morning having coffee with Jim. We went to Costco for supplies.Jim left and I cleaned out a downstairs bathroom. My goal is to clean out a room each day I'm here. My brother wants me to fill the trash bin every week.I got a good start today. After cleaning I got my first swim workout for the season. 

I made a big stir fry for a late lunch and then my brother and his family came over after dinner for cake and singing. It was good to catch up and see everyone. I can tell it exhausted my mom but she is working so hard to survive. Her cancer battle has been 4 years long thus far and will most likely continue for possibly another few years. Who's to know but boy, does the battle wear her down. Erika does such a great job of assisting her. She is such a blessing to my mom, I can see the tenderness so clearly and appreciate her so much for doing all she does. According to my brother, Erika has saved my mom's life three times, so as I celebrated my mom's life today, I was very aware that we were lucky to still have her around.

The Drive

I left Madison on Friday at 5:30am Central Time and arrived on Saturday at 3:30pm Pacific Time. I drove for 30 hours, slept 6 hours in Colorado at a rest stop and only stopped for gas 5 or 6 times. I paid $1.99 per gallon of gas in the Midwest but a whopping $4.09 per gallon outside of Las Vegas. The total cost for gas one way, $226.66. I purchased a round-trip ticket for Erika to spend three weeks in Wisconsin for about $200. When figuring out how to travel, it’s all about risk these days. Erika thought flying would be too risky even if it was cheaper. I’m not sure.

The Last Day of the 2020 school year

Grades were due at noon and our staff meeting started at 12:30pm. Every year it feels emotional for me and this year was not different even though we were on zoom. Awards were given, retirees celebrated and at the end we watched the senior video which I always find emotional. I really missed out on celebrating my seniors as 4th quarter is so busy with activities that are all so much fun. While I was thrilled to be able to spend most of my May with Jessi instead of the busyness of school, it was extremely anti-climatic and I know so disappointing for the kids. I realize so much of what I love about being a teacher is witnessing their excitement. This year, when the school year was over, I shut my computer in my dining room and went into the kitchen to make lunch. 

I spent most of the day cleaning and packing and getting ready for my trip tomorrow. I checked in with neighbors, left a list of things to do for Erika's boyfriend, who's cat sitting, cleaned out the fridge, vacuumed, prepped the truck and got my stuff ready to load in the morning. 

Scattered Showers Ending.

Today was a staff volunteer day which our department decided we would use later in the summer-- ie; we had the day off. BUT I decided to volunteer my morning to help with equipment/locker collection. I had a 10am zoom meeting I participated in at school. It was nice to spend the last 3 days of school at school doing work, helping out. I got home and Josh popped over just to chat. We sat outside until it started raining and then he left. I made a big stir fry and watched some HBO and then the news. Tomorrow is the last day of work and a packing day, then it's summer for real... although it seems like Spring Break never quite ended.

Then the rain came.

I spent the day at school day again. I had a 7am dentist appointment and then I went to work at 8am. It felt so good to have a small sense of normalcy, I decided to grab a latte on my way to work. I had meetings today, some of which I passed. I had lunch with Josh and bumped into lots of teachers. We are all supposed to wear masks but it was so humid so it was hard to keep it on. Many of us commented that if we are required to wear masks in the fall in our classrooms, it's not going to be easy. 

I went home after 5pm and made a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, watched news and went to bed early.

All Day

I got at work this morning at 7:45am and left after 5pm. 6 months ago that would have been no big deal but today, it was exhausting. Stamina takes time to build up. I offered to help my principal with equipment and book drop off so that kids who needed to pick up artwork and yearbooks could also swing by. I also had several students who needed to drop off cameras-- only 2 came back today but hopefully a few more tomorrow. There were meetings throughout the day that I was a part of but completely distracted in. I'm so ready for zoom sessions to be done with. I'll get a break for a while after tomorrow.

Once home, I watched some news, made a quesidilla for dinner and went to bed early.

Solo Sunday

I took Balt for a walk this morning. It was his first walk since we got back from Virginia. He was pretty happy to out this morning but and I've come to realize he's pretty moody from day to day when it comes to taking walks. I guess that comes with old age. After my walk, I watched the news and then watched a movie. I washed my truck and did a bit of weeding. I picked up some student artwork from a West teacher's house and then went to the post office to mail a box for Monika. I chatted with Jim while he was driving in Utah and with Monika. Erika texted me that my mom was sick again. I feel like I need to do something, but did very little other than make a big salad for a late lunch.

Alone for the week...

I said goodbye to Jim this morning. He left for California. I had contemplated going with him but there wasn't enough room for me and Balt in his car and he didn't want to go in mine. Plus, I have work to do and I can be more focused here in Madison on my last week of the school year. I spent the morning cleaning, doing laundry and sorting shoes in the garage in order to send a box to Monika. I took a bag of stuff to St. Vincents and picked up my CSA box of veggies. I got rhubarb, so I made a rhurbarb crisp with cherries. I'm planning on only eating my veggies and any leftovers most of this week. I leave on Friday and will hope to leave an empty fridge. Right now it is quite full with last week's veggies still in my drawer and the new stuff on the shelf.

I finally got in a 90 minute "hot" yoga class in-- although there is no heat in my basement where I exercise, I did sweat. I was very stiff. I miss the heat helping loosen my muscles. I miss a lot of what was but am content hang out at home safe.

Responsible Coffee Date

I invited Grace and Josh over for coffee this morning since school was out and we had so much to talk about. There is so much in the air and so much to prepare for.  The three of us tend to have the most time on our hands for socializing and I knew it would be difficult to responsibly distance more than 3 in my back porch. I made cherry almond muffins and had both coffee and iced tea. We chatted it up for over 3 hours. Joe called, so I put him on speaker phone for a while. We lost a former student in house fire last night-- such sad news. 

Jim and I made a quick visit to Costco so Jim could get gas for his trip to California and we grabbed lunch (hot dog)-- Balt needed dog food too. We enjoyed a leisure afternoon together. 

Grading and PD

I had two staff meetings today with not a lot of good news. It looks like we will either be virtual in the fall or a blend of some sort. We also got news that the district's budget is going to be short, so as art teachers we won't know if we will get much of a budget for supplies and there is some worry of job loss. I'd like to think I'm safe as an old timer, but if they got rid of art, I couldn't teach anything else. It was disheartening. 

Today was leftover day-- pizza, stir fry and salad. Jim ate all the pizza and stir fry and I ate the salad. He then went for a march (heavy weighted walk with backpack loaded with dumbells). I met with my student teacher for the last time to go over grades and wish her well as I transition to prepping for next year on line. I'm going to have to make all of my classes digital ready. I finished the afternoon with some time outside picking weeds and a bit of tv and news.

The last day of school

Yesterday was my last day zooming with students. I have several days of professional development ahead instead of finals so my zooming is not over. I'm sure I'll be zooming all through the summer as well. BUT I'm already planning on my summer trip to California. Erika and I will trade places for a month. I worked on travel plans today. I made a huge pan of stir fry and a pot of brown rice for Jim and I for lunch. Yesterday I made chicken tacos. Jim and I went for a long walk yesterday in the heat (90 degrees) and I came home showered and fell asleep early.

Today I posted my farewell message on my Google classrooms and started grading. I'd like to have most of my grades done by the end of this week. This year, the end of the school year is so weird. I was telling Jim, that everything is so weird. I feel so out of sorts... hopefully once summer it is here, a little normalcy may come back?

It's June!

Today I had to go into work for an hour to put all my stuff away. I cleared out the equipment I brought home and had stored in my garage just in case. Some of it came in handy but most of it just took a ride. I have 2 days left but my student teacher had done everything for this week's post which was pretty nice. I decided to make pizza for lunch today with a radish pesto sauce that was in my CSA handout. I noticed Jim picked out most of the radishes that he could find. I also put arugula, onlon and bell peppers on it. It was pretty delish. Jim liked it a lot. 

I put up my pride flag today since it is June. I posted a video of it on my social media and quite a few friends asking about where I got it from. Amazon. With the pandemic and the riots, there's not a lot about pride month going on but I still like to show my pride.