I Get By With a 'Lot' of Help From My Friends

Here I am at the end of week two. I've finally got internet connection from home and, boy, I feel like I'm a part of the world community again!


Last weekend, Labor Day Holiday weekend, my friend, Cindy, came to visit, help me unpack and visit some of the hiking points on the island. She is a real taskmaster, let me tell you! We worked 'our buns off' and got SO MUCH accomplished! It would have all taken me months to finish what we did in one very long day. I would never have actually rearranged the furniture or even begun to tackle the back bedroom without her prodding me along. Thanks, Cindy! My apartment has evolved into a decent little home now. I still have things to finish unpacking, but the big stuff is in place, curtains are hung, pictures are on the wall, the kitchen is functioning and my bedroom is shaping up. I can even walk in a path through the maze of boxes in the 2nd bedroom and have placed several of my preschool boxes on shelves. In another few weeks, I should actually have that second bedroom into a sort of storage/office/guest bedroom arrangement. I had cleaned and unpacked my little bathroom first. It was pretty scuzzy and I scoured it out. The oak backsplash around the sink was all dirty and water worn, so I sanded it down and put a new coat of oak finish on it. Tuesday, the 'fix-it' guy is coming to recaulk the tub/shower unit and fix a couple other things like two broken burners on the stove, clear out the drains, etc. Its cheap apartment living, what can I say? If I stay here longer than this year, I'll be looking for a nicer place to live, but for now this is comfortable and close to everything. I actually have a good lead on a nice little 'mother-in-law' house just outside of OH. I really hope it will be just right for me!

In about 1/2 mile I can be on the main street of town and at the water's edge on a walking path. If I go the other direction, my school is only about 3/4 mile (my plan is to walk to work once in awhile). I haven't been able to do it so far, as I've been carting a lot of stuff to the classroom, but on Monday I WILL walk to work. We are doing child find (giving the Dial-3) at the United Methodist church which is two blocks from my place! The post office is only about 1/2 mile down a side street. I do drive to the grocery store, as it is probably 3-4 miles to the closest, my favorite one. The Market Place has a whole section of vegetarian/vegan products. They aren't as inexpensive as Trader Joe's, but it certainly is a blessing! Bob's Red Mill grains, nuts and things are also available. He's everywhere! :o)

Even though Cindy and I worked really hard last weekend, we played hard, too. We went to Ft. Eby State Park and hiked the Bluff trail, looking over the Juan De Fuca straight and watching some paragliders practicing. There really wasn't enough wind to glide. I've been trying to figure out where they land, if they are able to turn and come back to the bluff, or what. I can't imagine they'd glide across the channel or land in the water. I'll figure it out on another hike. then we drove part way down the Island to Greenbank Farms. I understand they have Pie to die for! It was closed when we got there, but it is a beautiful compound.

The weather has been absolutely perfect at about 72-80 degrees the first week and cooling somewhat after that. Today was the first day we had rain. And I'm actually sitting here with my door open a crack, but wearing long pants and a sweatshirt. It is definitely fall, as there is cool cloudiness, almost mist, in the early mornings and then it burns off into that muted early fall sunshine in the afternoons. By the way, have you been able to see the moon this week? Oh my, it was a huge, golden, orange orb Friday night and a bright white light reflecting in the water on Thursday night. I sat for a few minutes in the park at water's edge to observe it and calm my soul after my long week. It is so wonderful to step outside, smell the fresh sea air and have the memories of 'camping' flit through my mind. (We used to camp at the coast a lot and the air here smells similarly.)

I am in a steep learning curve at school, as I learn how everything operates in their system. I had a day's training of their IEPOnline system. I haven't actually done an IEP on it yet, but will have to next week. Many of the preschool sped team are new this year: SLP, OT, school Psych and me. On the preschool team, we have 3 teachers (3 classrooms), two part-time SLPs, two OTs who rotate throughout the district (they are short OTs if anyone is interested! and Because of the OT shortage, two COTAs were hired, new.) There are two assistants for each teacher, the SLP has two assistants. The psych also cares for one other elementary besides the one the preschool is in, I think, but mostly his time is dedicated to the preschool. The SLP also has Head Start, whose building is next to the elementary.

There is a sort of 'preschool wing' at the elementary. Think of a large rectangle with a classroom on each end, and the middle is a large space divided into bathrooms at one end, kitchen/gross motor room with two small offices on the other end of that middle area. The two, small offices are for the SLP and Psych. The teachers all have a corner of their classrooms for their 'offices'. Thanks to my team's experience in rearranging classrooms (I'm talking CMC, here), I was able to make a decent space for myself and my IAs that blocks off that area from the play area. We do have our own classroom computer and printer. We hold meetings right in the classroom or one of the small offices. It's not grand, but seems so workable and stable. The school district website is set up so that, if need be, we can do paperwork from home using our own computers.

I can't express how it has been to actually have a classroom to call 'mine'. (The old OC team would shudder at the term 'my'!) To decorate and set it up has been challenging, exciting and exhausting. Trying to make all my things fit in my apartment, then going to a classroom and having to do the same there is just mind boggling. I was never too good at those little puzzles that you push the pieces around until the picture is complete....what are they called? But that's what I've felt I've been doing for two weeks in two Big areas of my life!

I've gone to my church last weekend and this weekend. Its a very small group and I really miss my Bible study group that I'd been a part of in Portland for the last 1 1/2 years. There's really not anything like that here. I'm hoping to find a group, or start one later on. I have no energy to stretch any more to new ventures, right now.

I met my families and their children on Friday. It will be a challenging group, but fun. It is quite a multicultural group. There are as many black children as white and the cultures are varied. Many are Navy families who come and go at the whim of the US government. It is sad for the children and moms/dads, as they just build trust and a program for their child and off they go. I'm just beginning to grapple with that aspect.

I suppose the most deeply moving thing that has happened is that this is a community and school district who really honors their teachers and respects them. Relaying to shopkeepers, acquaintances that I have moved here to teach brings smiles and congratulations and a wish that I'll stay a long time. It is a friendly community and small town. Right now, I love the 'feel' of it. On Friday, I received a gift pack from the Chamber of Commerce which contained a lot of really nice stuff plus the usual coupons, etc. There was a measuring tape (which our classroom needed!), a clipboard, ruler, solar calculator (a nice big one!), candy (yum), a granola bar, a water bottle, a rubber-banded bunch of pens and pencils from various stores/agencies, samples of lotion, etc.

Well, I'm going to walk to the PO before it gets dark and see if I have any mail. I ordered some Headliner from Fabric Depot and haven't received it yet. Class starts on Tuesday, so I really need it for my circle time area! Email and let me know how you all are doing. Even though I enjoy my new team, here, I miss all of you!

If any of you see Julie D, ask her if she got my email about my needing some of the aug com picture/song sets she'd made up for us. I really don't want to reinvent the wheel! :o)

Mardy, Marlene: How are your sons?

Have a nice weekend, all.