It's Always Weird Here

Greetings to all

I don't think I have told all of you about my new job,

They ended up with 105 extra kids at Edison High School. They didn't have enough teachers for them. The district allotted 4 extra teachers. Of course the district didn't have any applications on file and finding 4 people willing to teach high school in mid-September isn't easy.

Paul and I went to the college fair (where the colleges set up booths and try to attract students) and on the way out we saw Paul's principal who offered me a job. I thought about it all night and finally decided that I didn't want to do it. But I said I would consider doing it half time.

Paul went in Monday and he got called in to the office and they wanted to know if I would come to work the next week. He said that I really didn't want to work full time but I would consider working half time. They said how about full time for half the year. They knew their chances of finding a Math-Science teacher were zero at this time of the year and they feel that they have a chance of finding someone at semester. So by Wednesday they were calling me from the Service Center and wanting to know when I would be coming in to get my drug test. I did that on Thursday, we went to Springfield to see Irene last weekend and I started work on Monday. By the second day I had exceeded the legal class limit. My head is still spinning.

I am looking at it as 5 days down 65 to go. I am teaching Geometry, Algebra and Physical Science. The Algebra and Physical Science are fine but I haven't taken a Geometry class since Eisenhower was president so this one is going to be interesting. I am certified to teach it though and that is really all that matters. Oh well.

I spent all last week frantically sewing and cooking so I would be ready to be out of the house full time until mid-January. I have gotten the Halloween pajamas made and we will be getting them wrapped this weekend and mailed this coming week.

I thought I had everything taken care of but I ran out of bread to make my lunch one day this week. I knew I had gotten some but I couldn't find it. Paul found the two loaves I had purchased where I had sat them to be taken to the basement freezer. He said one loaf had gotten squashed but that he had gone ahead and put them in the freezer. I went down to check them out. Actually, something had chewed into one of the loaves. We were not amused. We decided we probably had another rat. We get one about every two years. Some of you may remember the infamous Doctor Thompson that Paul dispatched with a shovel. Or the nameless creature that met our garbage disposal. Around here hunting is a practical sport.

The next day I discovered that something had been gnawing on the bag of gingerbread crumbs that I had leftover from the last time I made sauerbraten. Doesn't everyone have a bag of gingerbread crumbs on their shelf? Anyway, it was about three shelves up in the closet where I keep the vacuum cleaner and the canned goods. I began getting the edibles off the counter and Paul was making plans to find the rat trap this weekend.

Last night we were enjoying a glass of wine and watching a new show on television. (thank goodness the Law and Order rerun season is over) I heard something moving in the kitchen. Paul assured me I was hearing things but just to humor me he decided to get up and check out the kitchen. Soon he yelled for me to come and see what he had found. In the corner of our vacuum cleaner closet was a possum. An opossum for those of you who insist on correct spelling. It was an adolescent possum about the size of a half grown cat. Whaaaaaaaat?????????????????

Paul says what are we going to do. Naturally I said "Get the camera!" Paul was a bit amazed by my suggestion but quickly agreed. Unfortunately he had left the digital at school and he couldn't quickly find another camera and get it to work. The possum just sat in the corner shaking and giving me one of those 'get out of here' looks. Paul said what are we going to do. After a bit of conferring we got the back door open, Paul put on gloves, the vacuum and brooms were removed from the closet, a laundry basket was found and the possum was dragged out of his corner and put into the basket. By now he was hissing and showing Paul all of his little sharp teeth. Paul held him down in the basket took him outside and deposited him over the fence into Mrs. Ervin's back yard - the best possum habitat in the neighborhood.

We are really hoping he was a lone possum but Paul said he thought he heard rattling in the kitchen when I was out at the grocery store this morning. We are going to leave out something on the kitchen floor this evening and see if it is still there in the morning.

I am going to spend the rest of the weekend making plans for my 142 students. I certainly hope I don't get any more this week. That is . . . students or possums.

Hope you are all having a restful weekend.

Love to all

NANCY