Teri Parris Ford's Blog

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.