Tag Archives: school starting

F-F-F-F-Friday 9-1-2023

Kemi Filani News

Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except February, which has twenty-eight.”

Does it show how old I am that I still recite this when I’m filling out the wall calendar in my kitchen to remember how many days a month has? If that doesn’t do it, how about that I mentally picture Jiminy Cricket

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singing how to spell, “e n c – yc – lo – p e d i a” ?

I like September because usually the summer extremes are finally softened toward the middle of the month and signs of the coming fall begin. Our part of Arkansas has never been great for ‘fall colors,’ because the summer heat has caused the trees to shed most of their leaves or actually killed off much of the vegetation. I love being able to ‘borrow’ beautiful images from our northern states, like Vermont, on the net, to fill my love of turning leaves.

September used to mean new school supplies to me, some new clothes to wear to school (even though here – and Oklahoma where I spent a lot of my teaching time) were too hot for the long-sleeved clothes we bought. Now the schools here open in August.

It just occurred to me that the concept of ‘snow days’ may no longer apply to the school calendar. Since Covid, where schools went to online learning for such a long period, I think they just switch back and forth as needed, depending on the weather and other conditions, so they can have classes as usual, rather than having to add on days somewhere in the school year to make up for days busses can’t drive the kids to school.

Giphy

Today we join our friends for Lunch Bunch. We have all aged and conditions have changed, so we’re happy to see anyone who shows up. It has become an event when we are all there, so we feel accordingly celebrational – if that’s a word.

Today we’ll take “Yosemite Sam” down from the mailbox and put our “Tasmanian Devil” up.

Freepik

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! We FOUND a split in one of the hoses going from the yard to the well house last night. We cut a 4-foot length from a spare hose and replaced it. So the leak is stopped and the well house floor being flooded will be a thing of the past. AND both controllers for the irrigation system are working and so things are getting watered the way they should again :0)

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Tuesday Thoughts 8-1-2023

Credit: May 1985 – Getty Images – iStockphoto

The 1st day of August means 1st-of-the-month chores.

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Shout-out to Sweet Cathy, who has her first chemo treatment, 2nd dose of radiation, and doctor of oncology visit today. Trying to send her hugs and strength today.

Shout-out to Bud, who is celebrating a birthday today! He’s a member of our Lunch Bunch group. He’ll have to wait for his card until Friday, but I’m thinking of him and wishing him well today.

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The weather is still not “something to be trifled with,” but help seems to be on the way if we can make it until Monday, when we have good chances of rain through Thursday! HOORAY!

Yesterday I mixed and sprayed TWO 2-gallon containers of KillZall weed killer. I’m planning to do the same today. Then I’ll wait and see what happens and respray where needed.

I got stung/bitten by what looked like a horsefly, but I reacted badly, my hand and wrist swelling up and itching madly. I took two Benadryl tablets and rubbed Benadryl ointment all over my hand, wrist, and part of my arm where it was red and swollen and itching. It calmed down overnight. It’s still swollen, but not itching at all. You have to look carefully to see the swelling, so I’m good.

My goal now is to cut way down on how much time my husband and I have to spend in the yard. The sun is really strong and risk of sunstroke is high. My husband scoffs – but he does that to a LOT of things lately, so I’m trying to spray where he has trouble mowing, and try to keep it that I don’t have to weed whack as much.

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Since school starts here August 14th (I find it hard to believe.) I used to be a lifeguard in the summers, as well as a teacher for 8 years in the public schools, and there was no problem between the two. Now I couldn’t have both jobs, since the pools are open until Labor Day.

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A school bus passes in front of our house twice daily. For this reason, and the fact that school starts soon, we decided to go ahead and change our mailbox decoration to welcome the kids.

“Yosemite Sam” – the kids are too young, probably, to recognize this cartoon character, but I’m hoping they can Google him.

I feel sorry for the bus drivers trying to pick up their group of kids in this area. Since the bridge is being redone and there is no through traffic, I’m not sure what they have to do to get to everyone. Has to be taking a lot more time than it used to.

I hope August is a good month for all of us.

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Sunday Thoughts 8-14-2022

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Good morning! I wish I were with this seal, enjoying the ocean. Did you wave back?

YARD – I’m about to go outside and finish the weed whacking I started yesterday. My husband mowed yesterday, so when I finish, it will look like someone cares around here again. It’s actually cool right now, at 76 degrees F., so it shouldn’t be bad to work.

Blue Bird Corporation

SCHOOL – School starts here in Greenwood tomorrow morning. There is one main road between our home and the larger road that goes to town, and having two schools on this road has been a real problem. It’s not so much the school buses, but what my husband calls, “the mommy traffic.” The moms come to pick up their kids from school and they quickly clog up the school driveway in front of the schools. Then they think nothing of spilling out onto the road and blocking through traffic.

The biggest problem, other than being really annoying, is that emergency vehicles are unable to get through, so if you have a fire, need the police, an ambulance, etc. you’re out of luck. I wrote a very careful email to the administration last year, pointing this out, and asking if more parking could be set up for the moms off the road so that the stalled cars didn’t put the community at risk.

A kind lady wrote me, saying they were discussing staggering the start and stop times at the schools, hopefully improving the problem. We still avoid leaving the house either before school starts or when it is due to let out, but we haven’t been caught in the traffic since.

Robert Henri-art by Dori Patrick

ART ROOM – Once or twice a day I go up to my art room to add another layer to the Christmas cards I’m painting for my friend to send out this year. They’re starting to come together, and I do a lot of grinning because each part is so much FUN. For awhile I can put everything that is bothering me aside, concentrating on colors, design, sparkles, and more. Such a beautiful break from ‘the world that is too much with us.’ (I guess my middle name should be ‘Ostrich,’ I spend so much time escaping.)

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DAY 30 – Today is day 30 of my daily yoga practice – an effort to make my yoga sessions ‘habit.’ Lately I’ve had to make choices as to whether to do my practice or not because inadvertently, I run out of afternoon time. I’ve made the choice to ‘YOG’ as my husband calls it, so I’m keeping my priorities straight.

Weed Whacking Awaits….

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