It's that time again!!!

What seemed in my childhood memory to be a three month affair has come to an abrupt end. I have to go back to school tomorrow, after only 2 glorious months of intentional busy-ness. I have packed an enormous amount in the past few weeks, and will have to continue some tasks well into August and September. For the most part the summer break of 2006 has been very rewarding. Time spent in the grip of sorting and purging was fruitful, though it is the part "to be continued" into the first few months of school . . . weekend projects already planned for me. I did take a short vacation with kind friends, Bob and Vicki Anderson, who whisked me away to Savannah and Charleston. What am amazing treat for me! After returning I attended motorcycle school as a personal challenge to fulfill a long time dream of owning and riding a Harley. Congratulations are in order on both counts. Now I am just looking for clearer, cooler days ahead to reap the rewards. As Scott says, 'ridin' weather is comin'.' Summer also included days visiting with members of the medical profession. You know that I had fun there, what with the usual physical, blood work, bone density test, mammo, and a special colonoscopy treat to top it all off! The Lord has blessed me with good news on all counts. God is good. I also enjoyed time with family and friends just kickin' back with good food and laughs. In addition I tried to work in a bit of culture-read a few new books, including an amazing comic book recommended by Aaron called Bone. If you get the chance jump in, you will be amazed. I caught a few movies for grins too, Cars, Pirates, and Devil Wears Prada - all worth the time in the cool. My last venture into Nashville this summer was several hours in awe at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Two excellent collections captivated me for 4 hours - The Quest for Immortality (Egyptian artifacts ranging from 1550 through 332 BC) ** though it did erk me to see we now deem it necessary to say BCE - "Before the Common Era" ** The other collection was Pulitzer Prize winning photographs 1940 to present day. Both exhibits had serious "wow factor"! Yep, I'd have to say that the summer of 2006 has been very rewarding. Hope your summer days were as sweet.
It's that time again! School is here! Who knows when I will look up again, I get such tunnel vision.
Love to you all.
God bless our days.
Teresa

Mom Baker's Bunch

Mom Baker's Bunch
Looks like it has been awhile since we have posted. And here it is hurricane season again! Amazing how time really flies isn't it. I am finally FREE of the "hallowed halls" for the summer! I am looking forward to a few days of R&R, before I tackle the long list of summer chores ahead of me. I hope to make a dent in the clutter that seems to be drowning me, and make space for some new ventures. Summer will move quickly, and I hope to have time to spend with family and friends as well. Onward and upward! Teresa

Katrina Felt Close to Home

It was a beautiful morning, and I was up at 5 A.M. and on my way to Wal-Mart before 6:30. I like to go early to miss some of the crowd, and still have day left to handle the laundry and bills, etc. on my off day. Today I saw this sign. 'Sorry for the inconvinence, but because of Hurricane Katrina our coffee counters will be empty until stock arrives.' I am sure that we haven't really begun to feel the full effects of that distructive storm.
I have done laundry, and worked on recording grades. You know that thrills me. I couldn't get on-line to actually record them in my new on-line gradebook . . . so here I am.
I have been out for a short walk, and watched a 1947 movie with Deborah Kerr called , Black Narcissus and talked with Mare for an hour or so, It is now time to think of something for dinner and fold the load of clothes in the dryer. You can tell I really lead an exciting life.
School is going . . . well, I suppose. We have started a new behavior program - PBS (Positive Behavior System), and I think we are seeing positive results. I am the "unofficial-teacher-greeter" (which I am sure will assure my future retirement employment with the real Wal-Mart) ...Every morning I stand at the front of the building and greet all the kids as they get off the buses. You should have seen the first couple of days, what a bunch of zombies dragging in, no response from most of them.....after two weeks of "chipperness harassment" from me, I am actually getting smiles, and good morning Ms. Purcells, and even a few hi-5s, handshakes and amazingly some hugs. TO COOL! I also have an 7th grade teacher now who has joined me at the front every morning. Plus I got a great idea from Charlene and a friend of mine who teaches in Texas (Houston) as well. I shake hands with every kid in every class, every day - and they have to look at me, and say something positive. I am seeing pay dirt from this action as well. Friday, one of the biggest knuckleheads in my classes actually shook my hand without acting goofy, and is not "totally obnoxious" in class. Yippie! We just had our first PBS party - two full hours of fun in the gym. The kids had a ball. I am looking for good things to continue to happen....yea!!!!
I am looking forward to my Red Hat Society trip this October 8th. The TN Central Railway has an excursion train trip from Nashville to Watertown and back. We leave at 9:00 and return after visiting the mile-long yard sale and lunch (you can eat on the train too) back in Nashville at 3:45. Should be fun. Most of the ladies in my group are teachers in the system, and get along very well.
God bless you with continued health and safety.
God bless America as she is under seige from all directions.
Love to you all-
Teresa

Good Katrina News

Some of you met my brother Burkett at Joyce's funeral. It would be the rare soul who remembered him when he was at Harding in 1963 who would also be reading this website! But, he is my big brother and even though he feels guilty now for skirting the law (yep, he's my brother...) he is, in my opinion, a Katrina hero. This is still in rough draft format, but go here http://donevelynelson.blogspot.com and read his account of the rescue he and a friend made. There are pictures, but you'll have to email me to get them. That would be famrush@hotmail.com to those of you who haven't yet!
Besides the hero worship, the nest is empty enough here that knitting, critter watching, and motorcycle riding are the big events of the week. I've knit more in the last 2 months than I've knit in 10 years.
If you read the other website, you are tired now, so I'll let you rest. Love you all. Freda

starting/trying to feel at home...

ah...
college...
"any day now, i'm gonna pack up my junk, throw it in the car, and head home..."
but no, i'm not. 327 is starting to be "home". the girls and i find our selves saying the word "home" a lot. usually referring to one of our oh-so-lovely rooms. erin, lucy, and i love our room. it's huge. we love being in our room, and being in our room together. we have a ton of fun. thanksgiving will be fun. lucy, guadaloupe(lupita/loopee), azyidee(deedee), and dana are all coming home for the break. seeing as how all of their homes aren't on this contenent, i think we can spare a sleeping bad to two... erin and i want all the girls to meet each of our families. so- yea... we're getting used to it. slowly. not sure about it yet. but slowly...
we all love it here so far.
i'm sure i'll see more of you then i have seen so far over the next few days... i'm still trying to work out my schedule so i'll know when i can and cannot go out and stay a while.
love you all.

Post from Scott

Hay. Just a little update. The paralysis, I guess, from the Bell's Palsy I would say is 90% gone. Or 90% better. Still can't whistle. Or blink...without thinking about it. Other than that, the health thing is OK. Big old empty house. It was a nice note to read from cousins and such that remembered our anniversary. It has been good and bad over the last 25 plus years but I've still got my Harley and it is running well. So is Freda. Anniversary and empty nest in the same month is a big step. Sad and happy that those landmarks have come. It is strange that you can see events that mark time passage and how irrelevant time really is to your life.
Johnny George and Kathy, sorry to hear about Aunt Billye. Was one of my favorites.
The search. So far, this search I have talked to Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee looking for input on a sandwich that Momma used to make. If you ever had one of her grilled pumpernickle sandwiches, share what you remember.
Staying pretty busy. Got a shoot to ready for the police department. Got a week of inservice in Columbia. Got a week of school in Birmingham in October for APCO and higher certifications-which is quickly becoming the minimum...if you live in an area that spends their 911 money where it belongs.
How about that storm? Go figure. Less storm, more damage. Feel for those people in the storm's path. We were in the path, but it fizzled out, thankfully before it got here. Few trees down, stuff like that. Haven't heard of many problems in Hickman county, yet.
If you don't already, visit Lyn and Aaron's weblogs. http://someplacedotcom.blogspot.com and http://mayorbigrig.blogspot.com. Leave a comment if you feel the urge.
How about that gas price!? I got to find somebody I can blame it on so I can feel better. Surely it is somebody's fault that this is happening to me. I'm pretty sure that they are deliberately doing it knowing I don't have the money for $3.50 gasoline...you know all of us can cry about the price of gas, sad thing about it is, it is like living on the coast and they tell you a hurricane is coming and you blow it off. I'll ride it out, etc. Then the hurricane hits and you ain't ready. Gotta be somebody else's fault. I ain't got the money allocated at this time in the budget for gas prices to be that high. Like all the other gas increases in our lifetimes. I will adjust. And something will suffer somewhere, you will give up something personal to you to buy the gas, to me that is just the way it is. But the part that probably bothers me the worst, is $3-5 a gallon to play on is different than $3-5 a gallon to earn a living on. In whatever path the evolution of transportation takes as great as this country is, in technology alone, we should have not gotten to here.

The "lazy-days" of summer.......

It is hard for me to believe that my "lazy-days" of summer are coming to a swift end! Although many, including Freda, are already back in the game full speed ahead!
I have had a busy summer, I must say. First, spending the last week of school and the first two weeks of my break recovering from a delightful bout of shingles. I pray I don't have to do that again.....!!!! I spent some time preparing for replacement windows, which helped to update the house, and I hope to save on the energy bills this summer and coming winter. I am currently trying to get my porched stained white. The rain has hindered me a bit, but it looks like my last project of the summer.
I enjoyed time with company also. Neil and Carolyn Summers, my good pals from Heber Springs, came by on their way to Montana. Yeah, I know, but they wanted to see me before they headed west.....They have sold everything, including their home in Heber, and have taken to the road full time. 3-5 years, if their health permits. Great for them, sad for me, as I always used them as my Heber connnection. I will miss my time there with them. Then about 5 days later, my pal from Palm Springs, California, Vicki Anderson, came for a week. We had a great time! A little shopping, a little eating, and about 9 movies. . ."movie therapy". . . I really hated to see her go.
Phone calls and letters from the kids have kept me informed. Leah and Leif and the boys will be off to Sweden for a couple of weeks mid August. Leif hasn't seen his parents in a couple years. His father is suffering from Alzheimer's . . .Kathryn and Paul welcomed their new son, Joseph Ryan, the end of May. Mom and babe are well. Jeffrey and Danielle are excited to have a new baby brother. Lorna and the girls (Miranda, Ayana, and Orion) are all well and already doing the school count down. Will and Dale are busy little bees. Will is working on a new TV series, something about the ocean, "Fathom" ????? George, and his wife Wanda, are on their way here. I expect them August 2...it will be good to see them. They have been on the RV trail for the past 5 months, just being tourists.
Well, it has been a great summer. I needed a break in the routine, and time to unwind, let go, and recoup. It has been good. Now I just need to re-group, re-focus, and re-energize myself to meet a new crop of sixth graders. Love to you all!
God bless
Teresa

Consider the following

Several of you have new invitations thanks to Kathy's and "Cindy Karen"'s (as I have called her since I met her as Karen first and then got my self related to her a couple of years later. Oh, you figure it out!) emails.

Since I'm such a geek, I like this computer stuff. I've created a site for the Nelson clan http://donevelynelson.blogspot.com and we've actually been using it, some. I have 5 blogs I read most every day, I want this one to be back on my list. I want to know when things are going on in your life, I'm sure there are lots of us who are farflung from Searcy who'd like to hear things, too. So, give it a whirl!

Freda