Weekend Coffee Share, New Places and Old

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. It’s a sunny morning, and I’m currently enjoying a cold, peach mango V8. What’s in your cup?

I got to spend more time at my boyfriend’s new rental home. It’s very spacious, he wanted a garage and an extra room when his dad visits. He also was pretty discerning about which side of town he chose. It’s further away from my house, but we don’t have to go over a bridge between us, and it’s an area I’m used to.

All this is just a foyer!

Being close to the river (but not on the river) and in a family neighborhood, it’s very peaceful and quiet. There are tall trees in the backyard.

We took a drive last night past my old house, not far from his rental, the one I inhabited when I was married and my son was an infant, then a toddler. I’m glad the area is still peaceful. So many memories,but it’s like another lifetime.

The energy in his house is pretty nice, too. I feel relaxed and comfortable. He has lots of poster art and this wonderful Napoleon canvas that he has put up even in his apartment digs. I absolutely love it! It is still in great shape after all his moves. The housing market being what it is in Florida and in its bigger cities, apartments and rental companies keep jacking up their rent without providing anymore value. Companies offering houses for rent are pretty doing the same.

By David, Napoleon crowning Josephine as his queen.

After apartment life, Chris is glad for the peace and quiet. I enjoy visiting there, not just for his comfortable recliner, but for the awesome company! Who knows if they’ll try to jack his rent up in a year. He’d be ready to move, if so. It makes me glad for my house and my mortgage. I pay about half of what people would pay to rent a three bedroom with a garage. Plus, I hate moving! We didn’t that so frequently when I was a child.

Later today, I have to go to the airport with my mom. My son and his dad flew up north to help his sister move. They’re driving back down, so Mom and I are going to get the car. Which reminds me, Mom and I are flying up to Minnesota to see family for a week this summer. More on that later.

I’m praying for my son’s safe return and peaceful travels with his dad. We celebrated my son’s birthday this past week. He’s doing so well now, and his sense of humor makes me laugh!

We’re leaving for the airport soon, and I still have to fit in my cardio. My routine is a little off, but that’s alright. Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Mid-week Celebration, a Birthday baby, No Longer a Baby!

A great steak dinner was had with a family celebration. My son is now 27. Time really does fly. He contains so much knowledge in that head. It is quite interesting. He is doing so well with his new job of 6 months, and I am so proud of how far he has come. I love you my son, and I remember every year . Blessings for many successful years to follow!

Weekend Coffee Share, A Poem for Lazy Saturdays

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share and the first day of National Poetry Month! Let’s have some word play. Maybe our coffee share will be like a musical. I’ve been reflecting in verse with my dog at my feet. (Yes, I sound like a geek). 🤓

My Saturday morning brought healthy breakfast, juice, and tea

Last night, after dinner with loved ones to end my busy week

I talked to my guy on the phone like a giddy, chatterbox teen

Then drifted off after a hard day’s work and finally caught up on my lost sleep.

My morning cup is accompanied by sunshine and birds who freely sing

The past is behind, the future I have no need to know or see,

And I can be grateful for all of these things, no worry of what tomorrow brings.

#grateful

(c) Pamela Schloesser Canepa

Weekend Coffee Share, Spring Crunch

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer . It has been a warm weekend, and my Saturday morning blog ritual is a Sunday brunch post for this week. I have a nice, cold mocha to match this warm weather. How about you?

This past week was a busy one, even though Monday was a planning day. I had to catch up on some online training in the morning on planning day, and had signed up for some training for that afternoon, so most of that day consisted of me sitting at the computer, and responding to things brought up in training. I’m glad to say I completed all of it!

Tuesday and Wednesday morning we had testing of students in their home room. This involves actively monitoring the students and maintaining a calm, quiet environment as well as filling out certain required paperwork. My habit of wearing sneakers almost daily is paying off, I must say, because to truly actively monitor, I must be moving around a lot.

Thursday afternoon, I went to the chiropractor. I like his holistic approach, which is different than the last chiropractor. This one manually adjusts my back, neck, and leg/ hip area (which he helps me stretch first). It’s such a relief after I feel that little crack in my back, and I get sooo relaxed. My back was sore the next day, though.

Testing season is stressful on a teacher as well as the students, so my extra stress may have added to that back pain, and my shoulder pain was acting up again. I haven’t been back for more acupuncture yet, but I’m glancing at my calendar now and planning to do so. Speaking of stress, one of the things that helps me de-stress is my dog, Bixby. This week, we celebrated National Puppy Day. I don’t remember what day it was, but I posted this cute throwback photo of Bixby:

Graduation from PetSmart Dog obedience training at age 7! (Still a puppy) 🙂

Friday night was time to relax and sleep after a healthy Thai dinner. I had appointments for my taxes and to get my hair done Saturday morning. I am happy with the results of both. Last night, Chris and I went out to eat with my son, who will be 27 soon. It blows my mind! We enjoyed ourselves at a seafood restaurant. My son let me try his aviator frames.

Trying to be a cool kid!

We went back home and Chris watched an old movie with us called The Game. Chris left early, having worked Saturday. I slept pretty well knowing I did not have to wake up at a certain time this morning, so I did sleep in and then watch the church service online. Easter is coming soon. Time is flying back. I’m getting along, though. I have a little bit of grading to do today, but perhaps I’ll paint a little as well. Another de-stresser!

Have a great weekend and a great week to follow. Take some time to do something just for you!

Breakfast Thoughts: Learning Self-expression

What a life I live! Those were words I started writing in my diary when I was thirteen. Sometimes it seemed sarcastic: other times, very hopeful.

Recently, I looked back in some old diaries I kept at age 13 and 14. I was quite innocent then, but man, did I ever write a lot about crushes I had on boys! Even in church and in the private church school. These diaries covered looking back at 1979 when Dad told me he and Mom had to work some things out, then skipped to me writing about the divorce happening, but NOTHING about my feelings. It covered the closing of my private school, starting at a public high school, the sale of my childhood house, moving to an apartment where I had to make new friends, and navigating the public school arena and seeing my dad maybe once yearly, yet my posts seemed mostly hopeful.

I didn’t express my feelings or opinions much, as if I feared someone would peek at my diary. Through all the changes, I never mentioned crying, except when Beth, a character in Little Women, died of a long term illness. My dad had given me the book, and I’d started reading it over that Christmas break when my brother and I went to visit him.

Never did I mention crying when my dad said they’d divorce if they couldn’t work it out, never when they divorced. I didn’t even write that day . My posts seemed like simple recountings of my days overall. I wrote a lot about boys when I was 14 too, as if I thought they would make my life better. I wrote funny stories about my friends and sounded like I responded to many things with the attitude of, “Oh well,” which seemed different than before. I mentioned getting ignored by a boy and feeling glum, then being cheered up by a friend or some other boy.

Man, was I shallow, or what? Even then, I was pondering being a writer…you have to start somewhere, I guess. Honestly, I think I didn’t express my feelings well until they hit me over the head. It seems I avoided my feelings a lot. Maybe I was afraid of them. Funny, I didn’t write much about my beliefs, just about my activities with church and youth group.

Well, I guess things have changed! I was disappointed with myself, though, because I can look back and remember the feelings I had. Maybe it just took me a little while to learn how to express them, even to my diary. Guess what? I lived through it all, every growth experience. What a life I live!

A Day in My Life, and #weekendcoffeeshare: Causation. #RRBC

Welcome to my #WeekendCoffeeShare, hosted by Natalie the Explorer, and A Day in My Life, Day 27, Jan. 28th.

My morning beverage was Zen green tea with just a dash of caffeine, and chocolate ashwagandha mix sprinkled in, which livens up the taste and supposedly has really good health benefits. My breakfast was the usual.

Now, take the following with a grain of salt, because I don’t always agree with everything this man says, and that is my right. While listening to Dan Bruglio’s “Pain Free You,” this stood out to me: “It feels good to think about (or be involved in) something other than your struggle.” I’ve read something like this before and it rings true in my experience.

This applied greatly to my week this past week. I and several teachers had planned fun activities and challenges for Literacy Week. It was slightly tampered by learning that the district wanted us to empty off our bookshelves the first day of that week! However, we carried on with our activities, and I kept trying to encourage the kids to take part. Many showed their creativity and worked really hard. It was a busy and emotional week. I woke up aching terribly in both shoulders, biceps, and my hand Friday morning after doing the shoulder workout at home Thursday night.

Now, keep in mind, I did the shoulder workout with my physical therapist’s instruction Monday night, and my pain the next morning was nothing like this. He pushes me more than I push myself! So, was the stress and negative emotion of this week getting to me?

I don’t know. I will say, going forward and encouraging kids to creatively produce bulletin board designs and two-sentence stories drove me forward and helped me to keep hope when it seemed like lights were going out on our educational landscape in my state. Kids, teachers, and Admin worked together to have Literacy Week. We have to find creative ways now to encourage literacy in our students.

For lunch today, I took my mom to Avonlea Antiques for their “Full Circle” cafe. The decor is sort of eclectic. I love the cow print booths! My mom ordered tea, and our turkey sandwiches had green apple on them and an herb mayonnaise. It was scrumptious!

So, I pushed onward with shoulder exercises today, not pushing as much as PT would push me, because I know I’ll be back at physical therapy Monday. I felt I shouldn’t push too hard after the pain I was having yesterday. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by for a glimpse into my world!

A Day in My Life, Day 19 #blogchallenge

Jan. 20th, Day 19. #ADayinMyLife

Today I took the day off for appointments. I slept in, getting back to sleep after the bathroom wakeup call. Man, I really needed that sleep! We had a good dinner with my dad and Patsy again last night, with my son and Chris also. Everyone had fun! They’ll be leaving early Saturday morning.

The first appointment today was at JOI for physical therapy for my shoulder. I hadn’t gone in several weeks but decided to go back for a few appointments to see if that would help me get over the hurdle, since being at home over Winter Break had me feeling like I had plateaued. My physical therapist pushes me further than I push myself, but if I still feel I’m not improving, I want to try for another MRI.

Afterward,I got to go home for lunch, see my mom, and feed Bixby some of my apple. It’s a relaxing thing for me! You can see he needs his toenails trimmed, but I’ve been waiting since a spot on his paw has been aggravated and still healing.

Bixby loves apples!

The second appointment was to get checked for breast cancer and get a mammogram. I can’t stress how important it is to get those tests regularly. I’ve had aunts on both sides who had breast cancer, so I’m trying to be cognizant and careful. At least the clinic was in an interesting part of town that is sprouting several murals now!

The outside of Sherwood’s bar.

The drive home was scenic and enjoyable. I’m planning to stay in and sleep well again tonight! Have a good Friday evening, everyone.

Day 17, A Day in My Life. #RRBC

Day 17 on Jan. 18th: A Day in My Life

This morning, I woke up and did some shoulder stretch exercises, then started writing this post during breakfast. I normally don’t do so much in the morning! Maybe I can get this daily writing thing going after all!

The school day was a normal school day with ups and downs. During planning time, I met with our Reading coach to record my “Book Talk,” and we discussed a few other things for Literacy Week, which is next week. There are a lot of fun activities we’ll be having. Monday, we’ll wear black and white for newspaper day. I’ve asked someone parents to donate newspapers so students can explore.

There will be fun activities centered around literacy every day. I’ll share more on this next week.

This evening, I picked up my son from work, and we met my dad and Patsy at a Mediterranean restaurant that I like. We started with their hummus, which is delicious! Everyone enjoyed their meal. I didn’t snap any photos, sadly, because the conversation was very engaging. My son had some grape leaves, a big plate of them. He let me have one. I got shish kebabs.

Stuffed grape leaves. Yum! (Stock Internet photo).

That’s my day. So much going on! Now I’m tired. I should sleep well tonight!

Day 16, A Day in My Life. #RRBC

Welcome to Day 16, A Day in My Life, Tues. Jan. 17th.

Today I got back to work .

Being around my dad this weekend got me to thinking about when I was a child, and the dream I had of my childhood home. Which reminded me of this post that I found on Facebook one day and just loved:

Dad’s significant other is very youthful and has a great sense of humor! She at times makes a good amount of noise, reminding me of an energetic child. I love her smile and energy. I want to age that way, embracing youthful laughter and behavior.

Patsy is a published poet, as I mentioned yesterday. She has a YouTube channel, and this is one of her videos: https://youtu.be/mZ7TCZgikXo

I’ve ordered one of her poetry books (Cut on the Bias), and she said she is in the process of getting another published, though I can’t recall the title.

I’m feeling tired right now, and it’s not even 8 p.m. The workday presented some challenges in the shape of middle school attitude, so I drew up some new seating charts. The News and Podcast Club met after school, so that was a good end to the day. A few kids were absent, but those who were there, want to be there. We did the podcast in the same room, so I got to observe it. The kids sounded great!

I met Chris for dinner, and of course he made me laugh! He’ll be meeting me, my son, and my dad Thursday evening for dinner at Longhorn, which has something for everyone.

It’s the end of my day, and I’m tired, but it’s a good feeling. I gave it my best today, and that’s the best anyone can do! Have a good evening, everyone.

Day 15, A Day in My Life. #RRBC

Day 15, January 16, Monday and Martin Luther King Day. Good morning, sunshine! Welcome to day 15 of #ADayinMyLife.

We stayed at the rental condo with my dad and his significant other last night (as mentioned in yesterday’s post), and waking was beautiful in such a location! I slept well, too, and so did my son. He was awake and making coffee by the time I got down stairs.

I’m quite a fan of the morning sun!

We went back to The Oasis for brunch. I had eggs, which I only eat once in a while. We came back and Austen and I loaded the car and headed back home. The drive was peaceful and without event, each of us listening to our own music. I was listening to an album by Live, an alt/ hardcore spiritual band from the 90s. That’s the best way I can describe it. The sounds wakes me up and yet, makes me think. Take a listen:

https://youtu.be/G1fgPshhUQo, Walk in a Dream

“The only thing we had in common was, we knew there was something more…” I love their sound and their lyrics! I don’t like distance driving, but this c.d. had me in a capable, trusting place.

We’ll see my dad and Patsy again later this week. I like her, she’s very interesting and has published some poetry books. I plan to check out her YouTube channel later.

I got home to see that my new lamp had arrived from Amazon. I’ve been needing a lamp or a night light in my room for a while. Well, I just want to shaped like a tree, and I call it my fairy tree light. It’s beautiful!

I think it looks magical!

This will really help when I want to read a book in bed. Even though I read on Kindle, which glows, I need to see where I’m going. This even has a remote. Life really is beautiful when you let the beauty in!

In the afternoon, I had a dermatologist appointment to get some moles checked and removed. No big deal, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, yada, yada. I am a hypochondriac, I think, but if it saves my life, it’s worth it.

This evening, maybe after dinner, I plan to head to the gym for cardio. Tomorrow I’m back to work. So it goes. At least I’ll be reading in bed tonight next to my fairy light tree! Or fairy tree light…. potato, potawto .😉