A Change

2010 has become a year of learning and change so I decided to modify the title of my blog to reflect what is really happening for me this year. I found this quote by George Eliot and it captures what I am discovering

It is never too late to become what you might have been.

Changes seems to be my theme –

• I’ve changed to healthy eating by making the decision to use Weight Watchers to help me learn how to eat and lose weight. (current loss: 75 pounds). This isn’t the first time I’ve made this journey, but this time feels like the last time; I’m in control of my eating and it’s a “good thing”
• I’ve changed my attitude about exercise. Walking, yoga, and using the gym have become part of my weekly routines. I’ll confess that getting of my duff (as my mom would say) is not natural for me; at the end of the work day I’d rather put on my pj’s and that uber-comfy robe Gary gave me for Christmas and snuggle up with my computer, my iPod, the Times crossword & sudoku, and my one of my stack of books. However, the challenge of reporting about my walking and exercise has given me the incentive to take that walk or visit the gym before I settle in for the evening! (Special shout-out to PK who inspired this “new attitude”!)
• I’ve changed my status from teacher to learner. In January I began a master’s program in reading. This program is web-based which allows me to go to “school” in that comfy robe I spoke of earlier. However, the courses are condensed into 5 weeks from the usual 10 weeks. Learning in double-time can be a challenge, but so far so good.

I may be looking at 60 soon, but as George Eliot said – you’re never too old! (Forgetting the aches/pains of the body as I write this and to paraphrase the ad I saw in the paper today: When did my bones get older than my attitude?

Enjoy this Patti LaBelle “New Attitude” video!

Monumentally ineffective

Monumentally ineffective

Originally uploaded by ecastro

This photo captures my own ideas about what I see in education. Educators should have the opportunity to develop the skills and tools for implementing a project-based curriculum – one that will help students “grow’ their own learning.

Tools ‹ 365-1 Days of Learning — WordPress

Tools ‹ 365-1 Days of Learning — WordPress.

I can’t believe it!

It’s Sunday, April 4, and it’s been over a week since I’ve been able to walk. I came down with the flu/cold last weekend and spent all weekend in bed & missed work on Monday. I made it to yoga on Wednesday, but we did an easy practice due to my knee and cold. My knee has been giving me problems for over a year, but I thought the weight lost (75 pounds now!) would relieve it. I’ve had two cortisone shots, but the doc said that the knee is “bone rubbing on bone”.

Well, yesterday morning I could not walk without extreme pain! I was walking around like Chester in the old Gunsmoke TV show. Have an appt next week and hope that I can make it until then.

Friday Night

It’s Friday and I’m sitting in my favorite chair in my comfy Christmas-gift bathrobe with a box Kleenex at my side. Can’t believe I’ve caught a cold with all its accompanying “goodies”… headache / sinus pain / etc! Made it through the week, but am truly depleted.

For those of you who are wondering about my scholarship … I didn’t get it. At first I was upset and feeling ill-used 😦 However, I have come to realize that it isn’t such a bad thing. The feedback on my application showed that I missed the mark on several topics. This means that when I apply again – and I will apply make no mistake! – my writing will be fine-tuned to what they are looking for.

My walking fell off this week as I dealt with my cold, but never fear.. these feet aren’t out of the “running” yet.

I’m Still in the Game :-)

72 days and I’m still walking and moving! I’ve also been one busy woman, but tonight is a good night for taking the time to catch up on my writing.

Speaking of time…

Myspace Quotes, Time Quotes at WishAFriend.com

Sometimes time is not – as the Rolling Stones to poignantly(?) said –  on my side! I feel like each day is passing so swiftly and I’m not ready for them to! And then to add insult to injury – Daylight Savings Time begins. All morning I kept subtracting an hour forgetting that it’s “spring forward!” When I figured it out I was crushed – well, maybe not “crushed”, but certainly disappointed.

I want time to slow down and yet speed up. I’m waiting for an important announcement about a scholarship I applied for and I found out that it’ll probably come at the end of March. Too long! Oh well, in the meantime …  I’ll keep checking out those library books, helping my students discover great books, keep up with the reading in my master’s class (talk about time – each class is a quarter worth of work in 5 weeks! – Speed learning), and hitting pavement for my walks/stretching and breathing in my yoga practice.

The end of March will be here before I know it.

“Oh What a Beautiful …”

I’m known for my penchant for bursting into song when a word or phrase I hear / say recalls a favorite (and sometimes not-so-favorite) song. All this week I have been thinking about that song from Oklahoma whose refrain is “Oh what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day.” Every day has been such a gift. However, I think we’ll have to abandon all hopes of snow and embrace the emergence of snow drops in gardens all around us.

Monday (2/15) I walked around Greenlake with a parent/colleague/friend from St. Matthew. I’ve taught all 3 of her children and we’ve developed a friendship along the way. I always enjoy talking with her because she is a teacher. I also get to get caught up on her kids – especially her oldest who is now a senior in high school. The great thing about walking around Greenlake (or any long walk) is that when you do it with a friend the miles just fly by. My impatience to get things over with is surpressed when I have a walking companion. So we walked and talked. Starbucks for water and a cool down and then we walked toward our cars. We stood on a corner chatting for some time – admiring the dogs (and their owners) going by – when L. noticed that a lot of people around us were staring in our direction! It couldn’t be us so we turned and in the distance we could see a terrible fire in an upper story window of a low-income senior housing facility that borders the freeway. Soon fire engines were blaring their horns and soon the fire was out.

Tuesday found me at Magnolia’s Our Lady of Fatima church attending our faculty retreat. I won’t go into the retreat agenda, but at lunch 4 of us quickly ate our lunch and started out on a brisk walk around the neighborhood. I found myself walking with S., 5th grade teacher. We chatted about a myriad of things, but in particular we discussed the frustrations with the administration of  our church and the challenges it holds as we practice our faith. The walk wasn’t long enough, but we had to return for the afternoon session of the retreat. The sun, crisp air, and signs of burgeoning life around were concrete evidence of the miracles of life!

After 5 days of winter break we returned to work on Wednesday. Talk about busy. I was up to my eyebrows in deadlines and rescheduling classes that hadn’t had library on Monday and Tuesday.  I also had a very important application for federal technology funding to get finished by Friday. The best part of the day/week was working with 3rd grade on a book review project which will culminate in a podcast. Their teacher and I collaborate frequently and it gives me a chance to teach!! Best of all, K. (4th gr.) and I have now established a routine of walking the St. Matthew neighborhood. It gets out of the school soon after the kids have departed and we get some much needed fresh air and a chance to debrief.

Thursday and Friday were the same. We were joined by M. the PE teacher. The sun continued to shine and what a great feeling it is to be outside.

Yesterday and today I walked the “usual” route in Edmonds. The snow-capped mountains and white-capped water along Sunset Avenue make this walk a favorite.

What is wonderful about all this walking is that I feel “mah-velous, darling!” My step is lighter and I can feel the increased energy. I have to thank my friend P for inspiring me to begin this journey. Now my daily routine has to include walking and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“I’ve got a wonderful feeling … everything’s going my way!”

Music by Richard Rodgers, lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II
Copyright © 1943 by Williamson Music
Copyright Renewed.
International Copyright Secured
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

6 Weeks and Still Going Strong

It’s hard to believe that 6 weeks have passed since I began to walk more. I have been walking – for the most part – around my neighborhood, but I have a few changes of scenery. Edmonds – downtown and along Sunset Avenue (It’s a toss up whether to admire the mountains, water, ferry OR check out the homes along the avenue) is always a great place to walk. Another walk has been around the St. Matthew neighborhood – more traffic than I like during a stretch of this walk, but needs must as they say! I’ve also walked the Woodway neighborhood with my friend Patti.

Scattered among these walks are the yoga Wednesdays in the library. Barb, Margaret, and I twist, bend, and stretch while our leader Bev tries to get us ready for head stands! Yikes… I can’t even imagine it!

Last week I decided to walk to my book club meeting. It was scheduled to begin at 7 and the hostess lives in Edmonds. It’s about a 5 minute drive at most and I had no fears about walking along the lighted streets. I really clipped along and was feeling pretty smug about walking instead of driving. However, I made a “strategery” error – I thought I would take a short path to a street that would be a shortcut to 3rd Avenue and make the walk shorter. When I got to the short cut, it was way too dark and way too much foliage. So I walked along Hwy 104 towards Pine Street and then up Pine to 3rd. By this time I was dragging (just a bit, mind you), but I knew I could make it. 55 minutes later I arrived at Sharon’s front door. I must have looked a bit bedraggled because Sharon and Deb looked worried when they saw me. After I explained what I had just done, they were amazed that I would walk all that way. Deb said she would definitely give me a ride home – I wasn’t going to argue with that! I settled in with water and lovely succulent grapes and sweet strawberries and the discussion began.

You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is. ELLEN DEGENERES

Cantankerous

My day began badly. And I had such a great weekend!

Saturday I had morning coffee with a friend, Patti B. We were to meet at the Walnut St. Coffee House at 9:30. It was crowded when I walked in, but by the time my coffee was ready I had located two seats at the big round table in the middle of the restaurant. Twenty minutes went by while I eavesdropped on conversations all around me (some Obama bashing that I ignored with gritted teeth). Where was Patti? Well it seems she was outside waiting for me; she had looked inside and hadn’t recognized me! After we laughed about it, we had a lovely chat.

Later on I was treated to a birthday lunch by another friend, Barb. Barb and I love to cook together and, in fact, when we were in Italy we had taken a cooking class together. Tutta Bella on Stoneway was our destination. We enjoyed a insalata (delicious!) and shared a tiramisu (molto delicioso). Barb’s professional background as an educator makes her the perfect listener for my ideas and frustrations.

I finished off the day with a brisk walk with Jen and Abby. Taking Abby for a walk is always a pleasure. She is so excited to be on the road; she trots ahead of us, turning back to smile her delight! It’s also a great time for Jen and me to talk about any number of world or family topics.

Sunday was another wonderful day – I was treated to coffee (again at the popular Walnut St. Coffeehouse) by another friend named Patti. I walked in to see her and Betsy being “chatted up” by a couple of elderly gents at the next table. Apparently one of them was playing “guess what nationality” we were, having started out by guessing Patti is Italian. These gents were delighted to be correct when I confirmed that I am German – to be exact Swiss German (and a goodly part Irish!). Later, Patti and I left to rendezvous at her home to begin our planned walk. We gathered her dog, Rufus, and began a trek through her neighborhood. The great thing about my friendship with Patti is that we are never at a loss for topics to talk about. Our conversations are convoluted and take off in all kinds of directions, but they are always satisfying. I guess the only problem is that there is never enough time – a reason to schedule another walk!!

But today began badly 😦  I didn’t sleep well. The bathroom scale was not cooperating (today is weigh-in day). My first graders kept interrupting me and their manners … let’s not go there. I was reading them a book called Please Help Me, Mr. Mutt and at one point the word “cantankerous” was used. I asked the first graders if they knew what it meant. Blank looks. I explained that it meant “crabby”. Oh….

It just seemed that one small irritation piled on another. By lunch time I was feeling very “cantankerous”. It didn’t seem to get better. To make matters worse, my mother-in-law was scheduled for surgery today and, due to a heart issue, they didn’t go through it. I know she is worried and now she has to wait another week – hoping the same thing won’t happen again.

Finally – please excuse the whinging (as the British say) – I had to get home after a long faculty meeting to feed Abby. By the time she was fed, it was too dark to walk by myself. oh well… tomorrow WILL BE BETTER!

The “12 Days of Birthday”

At our house birthdays don’t just occur on the day of one’s birth! Birthdays tend to stretch over several days, even weeks, depending on the celebratee, and especially for daughter number 2! When she was little she would start asking about her birthday at least a month before the real event. Now mind you, this would be December amid all the preparations for that special day. But for her, nothing could compare to her celebration. So the joke at our house became that any birthday become the “12 days of birthday”.

This was my birthday week. At work we have “secret pals”. This person prepares a celebration – usually at lunch – with cake (or whatever the birthday person likes) and a present. Because everyone knows that I am watching what I eat and that I’ve lost 67+ pounds, an emissary was sent to ask me what I could have for a treat. Without any hesitation, I said, “of course, I can have cake!” Well, the day arrived. There are two lunch periods – middle school and K-5. Normally, during the first lunch period, I have the library open for middle schoolers to visit / study / read. So on this day, a group of girls arrived at 12:15. I was busy as usual and wasn’t really thinking about the teachers who were waiting patiently for me to visit the faculty room so that I could be serenaded with the “Happy Birthday” song, blow out the candles, and share my card and present. So in walks Greg who asks me if I’m planning to come to the faculty room. It dawns on me, finally, why he’s asking and I tell the kids to behave so that I can go celebrate with my colleagues.

My secret pal is a wonder. The cake was angel food (my favorite) with strawberries and whip cream (canned). I could happily enjoy a piece and not have to worry about exceeding my points for the day! I went through this ritual a second time with the K-5 teachers. Everyone was asking about the plans for the evening. The rest of the day was spent with kindergarteners filled with exuberant joy (happy birthday, Mrs. Edwards, repeated over and over) and a beautiful bouquet of roses from a dear parent-friend

Walking… how does it figure in? Well, it didn’t! I gave myself permission to skip because Gary and Jen wanted to take me to dinner. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at our favorite place, Scott’s. I had salmon – my usual and just when I had decided I might splurge on another favorite, key lime pie.. the waitress announced that they had cranberry-orange sorbet. In the old days I would have “treated” myself to the pie, but knowing that I am committed to healthy eating – I chose the sorbet. And what a treat it was – sweet and tasty and I enjoyed every bite!

But the birthday isn’t over yet. Lisa had to work that night, so we are having another celebratory dinner on Sunday. And today I was treated to a delicious lunch at Tutta Bella with my dear friend, Barb.  My sisters sent me an Italian themed food basket so tonight we enjoyed some of its treasures. Will it end soon? Not really, because a week after my birthday, we get to celebrate Gary’s birthday. You see? The “12 days – give or take a few – days of birthday”

PS… Despite the decision to skip the walk on my birthday, I kept my commitment to walking. Mostly the neighborhood with Gary and Abby, but one day I walked the St. Matthew neighborhood with a colleague and friend, Kara. Today Jen and I dodged the rain drops and took Abby around the neighborhood. So ends the 4th week of my 365-1 walks.