Teri Parris Ford's Blog

California Summer Day 19

It was my last day of Professional Development and my meetings were late, so I could sleep in and enjoy some time walking Balt and drinking coffee with Jim this morning. I got my swim in early and then showered (outside) before getting dressed for my meeting. It felt like a long day and to make it a bit more complicated my mom was not feeling well, so I was having to juggle things a bit but I made it through and now can get back to just doing summer again. I was putting some stuff away and found a stack of photos of my dad's from when he was in the army. I took photos of them all this evening and made a google photo album for family.

California Summer Day 18

Can you believe it's July? I had Professional Development this morning. My mom didn't get up until late, so after my meetings were over. I made her breakfast and then went for a swim. Jim and I had lunch together and then spent the rest of the day kicking back. I had some work to do "asynchronously" and then finished the 6th Harry Potter movie. I've been watching them on HBO all week and really enjoying them. It's been a while since I've seem them, and I don't recall every watching them all one after another. There is a lot of little things I'm catching.They are certainly quite well done.

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 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!

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.

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.

Distribution Day 2 in the Sun

It was a slow day at school, and I had a lot more opportunity to get off my feet. I woke up this morning to a few emails forwarded to me with complaints from parents. A freshman boy was left out and a senior girl. I always hate this part of the job. There are always mistakes no matter how hard we try. 

Of course in the past 36 hours, I'm been in contact with hundreds of people wearing a mask most of the time and washing my hands dozens of times. I am a bit fearful of all the exposure but this will be a test for me how dangerous casual exposure is with social distancing.

I came home after a full day of work and enjoyed leftover enchiladas for dinner that Jim made. I put my feet up and attended emails.

A Walk in the Woods

Other than a zoom meeting at 10:30am with newspaper editors, I did not have a lot going on today. I probably should start using my extra time to plan my classes for next school on line. I enjoyed a nice lunch with Jim and then the two of us went for a walk in Owen Woods, where wild turkeys were gobbling and making us laugh!

I started a new exercise regime in the morning with Shaun T. with a new plan to lose the 10 pounds I gained since the shut down. I'm trying to give up bread and sweets, living on my CSA veggies and protein (eggs, meat and cheese).

Busy Tuesday!

It's weird how stuff happens in clumps. I remember working at Subway while in college and finding that no one would come in for hours and then everyone would come at the same time. Jim had his colonoscopy this morning at 9am, I had regular zoom classes to attend to (10:30 and 1pm), I had an 11am meeting with my student teacher with her UW professor, the yearbooks got delivered at 11am and the nurse called me shortly after 11 to let me know Jim was done and ready to be picked up. Wowza! But by 2pm, I was sitting in the garage with door open, listening to a storm go by while checking out the new yearbook! I met up with my editors to do my annual box opening ceremony and let them take a look. We sat in the sunshine talking about the book and life and catching up. I wanted to hug them so bad, but I kept my social distance. It was really fun to connect but so sad to think about how anticlimactic this was compared to what I usually do with the kids.  
 

Memorial Day

Jim and I laid low today. We walked out to the Starbucks near our home which opened up for the first time in months. I'll be honest, I watch and listen to a lot of news which means I won't be socializing or going out to eat in a long time. Jim started his colonoscopy regime. I ate salad, paid a few bill, did some yoga, pulled some weeds and read.

Monika called me this morning. Her weekends are Monday and Tuesday. She told me there would be a post on FB with a photo of her from Song of the Morning (where she works). Here is one of them. The post was about the garden there, which she enjoys. 

I brought the heat with me...

It was a hot muggy day-- a great Sunday to recover from my long drive. Jim had to get a Covid test this morning in prep for his colonoscopy on Tuesday. We went to Costco to pick up food for the week. We picked up some iced coffees at an open Starbucks (the one near our place is closed) and went for a long walk. I wore the wrong sandals and ended up with blisters. I finished the evening with my feet up and watched Endgame and so ends my 3 week Marvel movie marathon.

Last Day

It's been a great 3 weeks. I really enjoyed my stay with Jessi and Jessi really enjoyed having me here. As much as I'd love to stay even longer, I'm eager to get home and finish up the school year. It's been so nice to know Jim is keeping everything up on the homefront in Madison. Jessi is already asking when I'll return and I think we will try to do Christmas here in December. Life is so hard to plan these days. I had a department meeting this morning and I did lots of grading and attendance (which actually takes me a while to figure out who participated throughout the week). I was asked to send in a headshot and a quote about this year's seniors and I've been brewing on something witty. Anyway, it was a super humid day, so I took some photos since my hair was pretty curly. 

Jessi got home and I took her to 5 Guys for dinner and we watched Capt Marvel.

Post Storm

It's been a rainy week but today the sun finally came out and I made sure to get to the beach for a walk since I'm down to my last couple days of enjoying it. While I would love to live near the beach, having a daughter who lives close to the beach is the next best thing!

I had a couple of meetings but not a lot going on. I did some laundry for Jessi and vacuumed her room. I spent some time chatting with Jim, listening to a couple of podcasts while walking and watched Antman and the Wasp. 

Half way thru the week...

Where does the time go? I spent today doing a few things around the house for Jessi, knowing it was my last week and it was half over. I mowed the back yard this morning and then went to Home Depot to pick up some paint putty for a back window she wanted me to fix because the sill was cracked and crooked. I fixed it. I also got a few flowers for her front yard, finished the side yard and a flag I ordered came in, so I added it to the decor. She got home kind of early, after having to be in before 5am. We had lunch together and watched Infinity War. I had a meeting around 4pm and I'm ready to put my feet up for the rest of the night.

Monday Monday

I talked on the phone a lot today. I also worked on the computer and watched a couple of movies. The drama started with an early call from Erika as my mom had had a rough night. I had to call my brother and sister in law for help. It was decided to call 911 and my mom ended up in the hospital but she might get sent home later tonight. Luckily it was just an infection and she would probably safer sleeping at home. Anyway, with all the happenings, there was a lot of conversations. I got a surprise call from Josh and later I called Joe, to go over department stuff. I got a call from a principal to go over graduation photos. And of course, I got my daily phone call from Monika. 

Jessi got home kind of early and we had leftovers for lunch and dinner. I made cookies and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Big Storm coming

I mentioned to Jessi that there was a lot of rain in the forecast and she lamented that she had no fixed her chimney since it leaks water. She was told by the roofer the mortar needed repair. She looked up getting it done and was afraid of the thousands it would cost. I did a little research and found we could probably do it ourselves. We spent $10 on some chimney mortar at Home Depot and an hour filling all the cracks and holes. We'll find out tomorrow if it worked when the rain comes!

Jessi had to study all afternoon, so I took Balt for a long walk and chatted on the phone with Jim. It made for a wonderful Sunday!