Z

Z is for Zamboni...I just keep coming back to this for Z. I loved watching the Zamboni smooth out the ice during intermission at our local ice skating rink when I was a kid. I loved how Zambonis are decorated for each hockey team...

Photo from pizzastop blogspot

...and I love the story about how, in a local parade for our city's anniversary, the Zamboni from the local ice rink was right behind and a group of us representing the elementary school I worked at, when it blew a tire! It was an amazing shock and we all had a good laugh when we recovered!

I love this book

and who doesn't love to say "ZAMBONI!"

Happy A-Z April! We made it!!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*A-Z SURVIVORS*

Y

Y is for.....da, da, da, da, da, da da, dh....Ya say it's your birthdaY...(que the Beatles,) You're gonna have a good time....
Yes...I am 55 today...double 5's ...5 and a half decades Young.
I am in the best shape I have been in since I have had kids...it's about time I had a little time to start eating well, working out and just having to work and have fun.


EnjoY !

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME*

X

X is for X marks the spot...as in, I am exercising and have hit that spot where I feel good and am setting some personal bests. Last Thursday, at the local running store's Adventure Run, I followed some youngsters on the route. I don't have a smart phone and the map is sent out as an email when the run begins. You have 1 hour to run to as many checkpoints on the route as possible...and this was the first time I have made it to all checkpoints. At first I wasn't going to go to the furthest point...but I kept catching the 20-somethings at each stoplight so I just kept going. They were running fast- like sub 8 minute miles...but they had a smartphone with the map and I thought I could turn back if I had to. But I kept them in sight...and they kept tripping the lights for me. I think that run made me realize I could go faster. My mile swim yesterday was surprising too...I thought my time was 35 minutes and when I saw the time on my Garmin I was pleasantly surprised to see 29. I am not a fast swimmer but that was a great time for me. I just need to keep it up so I can rock an Rugged Mudder event next month.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONEGER*LAUGH HARDER*X IS AWESOME*

SWIM ACROSS AMERICA

29 minutes and some change! A new record for me...and a lot of money raised for cancer research:

Thanks to all who donated....we raised $61K!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER* SWIM ON YOUR BIRTHDAY WEEKEND*

W

W is for worms...

and we don't say "Ewwwww,"

The newest babies have hatched in second grade...see those ity-bity black things on the white cocoon? They are Silk "worms," which we know are not worms but caterpillars....but silk caterpillars just doesn't sound right. I should have put a penny in the photo for scale but I noticed that they hatched right as I was leaving on Friday...so I had to run out and pull leaves and fruit from the Mulberry tree and my new Mulberry bush, both of which just began putting out leaves. The "worms" are the size of a eyelash, They will eat and eat and eat for about a month and then spin a cocoon of silk. It really is a fascinating process. 

I have ordered duck eggs to incubate. They were set to arrive on Thursday and then I realized that they would hatch when I was in Colorado for BIG Foot's graduation. I hope they are able to change the mail date for the following week!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*
LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY THE 
CIRCLE OF LIFE*

T, U, V

T is for Tahoe. Two times I have ridden my bike around the lake and out to Truckee in the 100 mile "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride." This time my small bit of spring break there was truly for enjoyment. 

This is Emerald Bay and we hiked out to where you can see the only island in the entire lake. Fanette Island. My friend's mom is 84 and she hiked down and up like a trooper. It was a 700' change in elevation in less than a mile down.

U is for unscheduled, as I have been lazy and not scheduled my A-Z posts ahead of time...thus falling behind.

V is for my favorite of all the letters...Vanity plates. I LOVE license plates...I collect a license plate from every state and country I visit. I have them on the walls of my laundry room but they will soon be moved to the base of each stair when we re-do the stairs to our downstairs.

When we lived in San Diego I ordered vanity plates for the Captain for his 21st birthday. He drove a'69 VW Bug (that is sitting in our garage to this day,) and I thought plates would be cool. I filled out the paperwork and sent in a check for $25. Weeks later he received a reply- "SORRY 'GNEISS 69 IS INAPPROPRIATE'.

Gneiss is a metamorphic rock- the Captain was a Geology major...apparently the officials thought 69 was crude...it's not like we pulled that number out of the air....it's a 1969 car!

The Captain never bothered to refute. In 1983- when the unemployment rate was as high as it is today- we moved our poor unemployed selves to UT. I was pleased to find out that vanity plates were $15 and a one time charge!! Unlike CA where you pay year after year and only a fraction of the money goes to a cause that supports the plate. The only drawback was the plates only held 6 characters...but MAREY was not taken- I claimed it immediately. It was on the VW when Coppertone paid us to drive the car around like a billboard.

My friend moved to UT shortly after...she was amazed that everyone said, "Oh My Heck" as a swear word.....her vanity plate said, "O MY HEK!"
The Captain and I began collecting license plates...and they all hang in my laundry room-  and we try to get one from each state or country we travel to......one year while in UT I bought this cool fabric and made curtains for my laundry room....

Remember when CA gave these out each January....when everyone in the entire state's license fees for the year were due?

If you remember that you are at least my age....they were mini plates to put on your key ring....in case you lost your keys.....but what they didn't count on were dishonest folks who found your keys and then searched for a car with matching plates....and drove it away!!- I used to use these little plates with my Barbies....(they made cool 8 track tapes!)

What would your plate be? Or if you have one...what is it?

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*

LAUGH HARDER*FINALLY CAUGHT 
UP ON A-Z APRIL*

S

S is for Spring Break...it finally arrived!
S is also for snow...today there were snow showers at Lake Tahoe and I when I went for my run on the shore, the snowflakes swirled around me!

This is from my cell after my run...hard to see the snow ...and it has melted from the roof tops.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*LET IT SNOW*

R

R is for Run...run baby run....RUN BOSTON- as in today...one year later.
I have never run Boston...I could be good enough to qualify if I had time to train...and not work...and had no other responsibilities. But unless I am still running when I am 80, I do not think I will ever qualify.

But today is history. A day to LIVE BOSTON STRONG. To defy terrorists. For those who did not finish last year, they may finish today...some on artificial limbs and some who are now deaf and have scars that are visible inside and out.

A nursing instructor had her students working at the finish line last year. She prepped them for dehydration, hypothermia, exhaustion and muscle cramps... and treating blisters. She told her students they would be inspired pushing those so exhausted in a wheelchair to the tent for care. Instead, the students turned into trauma nurses right there at the blast. She hoped her students would not change majors after the horrific experience. The next day her nursing students came to her and said they were going to be ER or trauma nurses as they wanted to be there for the worst types of accidents.

Boston changed many lives last year. Do you remember where you were when they found out who the suspects were?

The finish line is painted in the street...did you know that? Here were are at the finish last summer.

 And below are notes at one of the blast sights. There are two...with notes and photos pinned to the knitted Boston sleeve on the lamppost.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN BOSTON STRONG*

Happy Easter

I hope the bunny was good to you!

LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*EAST CHOCOLATE*

Q

Q is for:

Question Authority

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*I SAW THIS ON A BUMPER STICKER*

P

P is for painting. One that was especially just purchased for our bedroom...


The Captain and I had this area of the house that was originally a furnace room, made into a master bedroom 18 years ago. With kids and all the activities they come with, coupled with full time jobs, we never made a point to decorate our walls...they sat bare until I put my foot down and said, "WE HAVE TO FINISH OUR ROOM!"

I did some decorating but we still had a blank wall. So for The captain's birthday we went to a Flower and Garden Show at the fairgrounds. And right when we walked in we saw a vendor with sets of paintings that came in 3's. We chose this one as it matched our beachy theme.



And on a totally unrelated A-Z theme....last night my teacher's union held signs on the local busy street near the district office to raise awareness of our lack of contract...like 2 whole years without one. The district and bargaining team are most likely going to fact finding. When the news cameras rolled out, I crossed the street to join some other teachers as I did not want to be live on the 6:00 news. I successfully avoided being filmed...imagine my surprise when I saw this on the front page of the paper!!

That's me between the two signs! I never saw a photographer so assume it was taken with a zoom lens from across the road.

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY THE WEEKEND*

O is for.....

Open register....

I seldom have the opportunity to be home alone...especially on a weekday...and it has proven to be interesting to see what goes on in the house when I am at work:

7 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

9:45 a.m.

10:50 a.m.

12:45 p.m.

2:45 p.m. She was fast asleep that black cat...but she didn't want to be photographed sleeping on the job...so she got up quickly...and the gray kitty is going to steal that vent.

2:46 p.m.

But gray kitty decides to chase black kitty.

2:47 p.m.

2:48 p.m.

Woodman didn't get the vent for long...he and I drove the car to school for BIG Foot to drive home after practice...we walked home...and when we returned....

3:50 p.m.

... The King was back on the throne.

It's a tough life....but someone has to go to work to buy the pet food.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY THE HEAT WHILE IT RAINS*

N

N is for "No-One," which is what my daughter called her little brother "Nolan." She had a hard time with "L's" which were substituted with "W's" and came out "No-One."

"Who did this?"  - "No-One" ...and we still use that to blame someone to this day.

Nolan is called BIG Foot on this blog because, well, he has earned that right. When you sport a size 15 shoe and you are 6'6" tall you are sometimes mistaken for Sasquatch.



 *LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*no one did it*

M

M is for ME! Marey...I used to say Marathon Marey...but my Marathon days are over...More like half Marathon....I am also a Mom

I also have a birthday this month..which is totally not an "M" word but what the heck!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*MAKE IT YOUR DAY*

L

L is for learning. I continue to take classes and continue to learn about teaching. I also want to be the best I can be at what I enjoy doing. I want my students to be Lifelong Learners also. I end up learning the most from my second graders more than from books.


So this afternoon after my workout, The Captain and I stopped at the grocery store for salad items for dinner. I saw two boys with their dad who was pushing the cart. The younger boy around 10, did a few fake punches to the dad's face...but got a little too close for comfort. I watched the dad stop, lean down and very quietly talk to his son. He did not change his facial expression and no one in the store knew he was reprimanding his son.


What a great learning experience for his son....he was told NOT to do what he had done and he was NOT humiliated by the talking to from his dad. When I doubled back for milk on my return back to The Captain in another aisle, I passed that same dad. The boys were ahead of him and I nodded to the dad and in a low voice I commended him on his parenting.


His comment:  Thanks. Mom is out of town for 10 days....we are half way though and my patience is running low.


Too often we see parents so stressed out, embarrassed or otherwise, yell at their children or instead of talking just give them a smack...kids can't learn if treated that way.


What did you learn today?

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*LEARN A LOT*

Sunday

Sunday is a rest day for A-Z blogging....so since I do not have to blog a letter I will ramble.


Yesterday I ran in a run similar to a scavenger hunt. Each runner or walker had a card to check in at a card reader hidden at an area circled on the given map. You had to hunt for the check in scanner...which was what got me on the very first check in. I knew the circled area on the map was a school...but I ended up running around the school, climbing the fences....3x....to find the card reader...finally- about 8 minutes later, I found it. By then walkers were coming up to the check in...I had lost a lot of time. This is when I miss my daughter as my running partner.


The rest of the check points were in the park near my house. The advantage was mine because I knew the hill to the park is one that goes to my house...straight up! The rest of the runners marked their check points going in the shortest distance, but I knew if I went backwards to the checkpoints, I would have downhill on the way back- and if I cut through a school on the way to the park I would not climb the street I live on. Good planning there :)


I was only running the 5K because I had a luncheon for one of my student's First Holy Communion at noon. Still because of the late start I was cutting it close. I made it to the end just after a group who had been on my heels. I ended up first in the old lady category from the results posted later...I was the second woman to finish alone and not in a group! I am not sure what the prizes were but I had to leave before they were given out....usually just a certificate but it was a fun time.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*DON'T GET LOST*

K

K is for Killer Cat...the King of the beasts around here...

17 years ago we rescued this feral cat from my mom's garage where a stray had taken up residence and had a litter of Kittens. I really wanted an orange kitten but every orange kitten we could capture was a female....and we really wanted a male. After much chasing- my 3 kids and I cornered this guy and drove him 500 miles back home with us. He is getting up in years and has reverted back to his feral ways- coming to the porch for meals and a petting only on his terms. He's never really forgiven us for neutering him.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER

*LOVE A CAT*

J

J is for juniper....(for lack of a better J)....when I was a kid, my dad would cut the tall Cypress trees that lines the edge of our yard. How I hated the trim days because my job was to pick up the branches and put them into the trash cans. No matter how hard I tried not to brush the branches against me, it inevitably happened. My skin would burn and welt. My complaints went unheard and I wondered why my sister didn't mind picking the branches up.


Years later, when I was plagued with a massive sinus blockage and could not smell for over a year, I underwent allergy testing. Nothing. Nothing to cause the infection that raged in my upper sinuses....but I was allergic to junipers...the Cypress family of trees...which is why I welted, itched and burned when I picked up the branches as a child. Too bad I didn't know that way back then or I could have gotten out of that chore.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*I DON'T DO YEARDWORK WHEN CYPRESS TREES ARE INVOLVED*

I

I is for Imperial Jug...


Modern, fiberglass and insulated for hot or cold liquids....
Doesn't it just invite you to go on a 50's style picnic right now?


I got this cool jug on ebay years ago...it has a matching cooler... and both sit atop my kitchen cabinets with my other cool 50's stash. I don't believe either have been used. Simply decorative and fun.


Happy "I" Thursday!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAVE AN ABC MONDAY*

H

 is for Half Dome...in Yosemite. You must apply for a permit to climb the cables to the top...if you are without a permit there is a hefty fine. This was our party on our last climb....

All but me at the trail head.

We left the trail head parking lot at 10:10...p.m.....it was about 78 degrees. We hiked throughout the night under the pitch black sky covered with millions of stars. The waxing half moon had long set and it was just us on the trail....and the critters that Daughter #2 spotted: a scorpion, a millipede, a white frog, ants (yes a night!) and a deer...which was my joke "Look! A deer in the headlamps!" A ranger in the parking lot told us that there has been a lot of bear activity but we did not see any...although I am sure they saw us.

The hike was easier than last year as I was fresh- I didn't ride my bike 62 miles that day, so I wasn't left in the dust when we took off....although one of our friends was rather slow. We did not get our hour's nap before the ascent.

The sky was just beginning to light up as we got to the saddle.

This was The Captain's first time and after climbing the 800+ granite stairs to the saddle where you get your first glimpse of the cables, he saw what I had described and our friend said, "I can't do that!" But after a short rest and a drink of water and seeing daughter #1 say, "I going," and then scamper right up to the top he was willing to try. I followed Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 who is afraid of heights was right behind me. This time I self assured and ready for the adventure. I was able to take in the views and not panic but your life is literally in your own hands...you let go and it is a L>O>N>G way to the bottom. I wore my Garmin and timed the climb...15 minutes! It is a 30 minute average ascent so I felt good about that. I did not fear my hands or feet slipping this time so I was able to enjoy the view....last time I kept thinking, "If I fall from here I am dead" and then as I neared the bottom I thought, "Well if I fall from here I wouldn't die but I'd be really messed up." This time it was all fun!

 

The Captain and our friend making it to the top.

See that little spot on the mountain? Below that is the parking lot where we have to hike to!

Here comes the sun!

Last time I did not venture out to the famous ledge to take a photo...but this time when Daughter #1 headed out to do so, and The Captain, I knew I had to....

 

 If you slip it is an 8,830' drop to the valley floor.

You can tell that my daughter is much braver than her mom and dad....check out where she is standing and where we are! She is a rock climber and much more comfortable on the edge of the world.

We had a wonderful time and I hope I am lucky enough to get permits in the next lottery to climb again....and next time there will be time for a nap on the trail!

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER

*LAUGH HARDER*CLIMB THE CABLES AND STAND ON THE EDGE*CARPE DIEM*

G is for

Girls!

My classroom pets for the past 27 years have been rats. They are the nicest pets and that allow small children to hold them, come when you make a kissy sound and they love my dog....who licks them and cuddles with them.


So this week we said Goodbye to Ratman who was three years old and was worn out. Rats live about 2 years before they get a tumor and usually I take them to the animal Shelter and have them put down. More rats than I can count are buried in my yard alongside a few cats and the dog.


Yesterday The Captain and I went to Pet Smart and bought the girls above. They remain nameless until tomorrow when the second graders vote on new names. They are sweet and skittish and soooo happy to have fresh food for the first time. Tomatoes and carrots are their favorites so far...and also a little lettuce and bread bits.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH

HARDER*LOVE A RAT OR TWO*

F

F is for Five K  Fun Run....
Which I ran Sunday...and although not so fun because it began late and was a little warmer than I would have liked.... but it was a wonderfully FUN time after with a BBQ lunch and good friends.

The funny thing is my bib number was "1"....which will never happen again in my lifetime. The lower numbers, in large races are for seeded runners who are predicted to come in with the top times. In fundraising races, the honor of number one goes to the person who raised the most money. But in this small, high school fundraiser, you just walked up and received a number...and I happened to be first in line.

And once again, I ran one of my faster times in years and managed to get beat by faster, fitter women. Last month I would have broken 28:00 but I stopped to make sure a boy who fell was okay....this run I got water a few times but kept running and as I made my third and final loop I looked at my watch and thought I saw 29:03...and I was so sure I was running faster...and when I rounded the turn on the track I saw the scoreboard with 27:10.....and my finish was 27:40.......I was pleased. And I had been worried about tendinitis since my Achilles tendon has been bothering me...but I taped it up and it was no problem at all.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAVE FUN!*

E

E is for engraving.
Engraving was the clue that solved a mystery that goes like this:


One of my student's mother's got a call from the police yesterday...they asked her name and then asked for her date of birth...she wasn't sure she should be giving that info over the phone so she said just that...and they asked, "Is your birthday Jan. 1st?"
"Yes," it is.


The next question was if she had 2 brothers.
Yes, she did...and then the officer asked their names.


Next question..."was your house recently burglarized?"


"No, and never," was her answer.


It turns out, that during a traffic stop last month, stolen property was recovered from a car. Among the stolen items was a charm bracelet with three children's golden silhouettes, with names and birth dates engraved on each. With some detective work, they narrowed it down to this parent...and they phoned her.


She did indeed know of the bracelet. It belonged to her mother and was stolen when her house was robbed 31 years ago! What makes the story so interesting is that this bracelet was stolen in southern California- it somehow survived being shuffled around and perhaps re-stolen again....then turning up in the Bay Area just a few miles from where this parent lives now.....and she has only lived in this area for a few years. The engraving was the clue that returned this keepsake to its owner.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY THE WEEKEND*

D

D is for Daffodil...not necessarily my favorite flower in the flower bed...but the only flower in the flower bed that the deer won't eat! The tulips are gone and they were magnificent....until eaten...as will be the roses right as the buds open.....gulp!

D is also for disrespectful deer!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*TGIF*

C

C is for Cactus garden....

We had to do some major tree cutting in our small backyard. The draught we "were" having made us rethink our lawn area and decide on some alternatives..but first....

When I was a little girl growing up in So Cal, the local grocery stores carried cacti in 3" plastic pots....right there in the produce section. I always asked my mom for one but she would never buy me one. Then one day while running errands with my dad, we went to the grocery store...and I asked....and he said YES! I picked out two...one met it's end when it fell out of the container when we were on vacation. The other lived on but did not grow very quickly. When I left for college I brought it with me. Eight moves later, when we finally purchased a house, I replanted it into a larger pot with catcus soil. It flourished...so well that a few weeks ago I decided to whack off all the babies growing on the sides and bulging out of the pot. AND I conveniently planted 3 of those babies into my new cacti garden in an area I claimed in the newly leveled backyard.

In the 80 degrees of a lovely weekend 3 weeks ago I turned this...

into this:

LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*PLANT SOME CACTI*

B

B is for bicycle...

I have two bikes...a road bike for fun... and
a hybrid bike for riding to work. It was once upon a time a mountain bike...now it sports thinner tires and two large baskets on the rear to carry "stuff" to work.

In 2011, I rode my bike to work everyday...except for the day it rained so hard I would not have made it down the BIG hill...so I walked to work. That year the assistant superintendent nominated me for Bike Commuter of the Year...and won. For several years I put 1,000+ miles on my bikes.

On sunny summer days you might find me on the road:

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN*