Christmas card photos that didn't make the cut!

"I am so not looking at you with the camera!"

....just soooooo not ready when the shutter clicked...

"You just tackled me in the snow!"

"I think I see "Little Deer" over there!"

"This is the most uncomfortable fence I have

ever been on!"

(And remember, you can click on photos to enlarge them and get the whole ridiculous effect up close! hahaha)

Santa's on his way...and I'm still raking leaves???

Hey everyone! I decided it was time to get rid of the Thanksgiving theme page and move on to the Christmas-ier one! Time sure is flying by....Dennis and I got out this morning and he picked up enough sticks to build his very own wickiup. I, on the other hand, spent the hour raking that same darn pile of leaves from the front of the house that keeps reappearing everytime the wind blows!!!! Hopefully, this is the LAST time I have to get that rake out. My pond was frozen over about a quarter of an inch and I decided to remove my netting - again - so the sun could shine on it. My heater from last season is refusing to heat. They last about one winter and that's about it. boo hiss While I was taking the netting off, however, I noticed what looked like a small dark fish about two inches long. I asked Dennis, "Is that a fish??!" He said , "No, that just a piece of mulch that fell in." "Well," I said, "that piece of mulch is starting to swim around!!" Just when I have decided to get rid of my fish, they start multiplying. I am surprised one survived since big fish usually gobble up the babies. This one must have a super stealth mode built in and managed to escape not only big, hungry fish but my netting as well. I have scooped out more leaves and acorns off the bottom and he never got caught! I am just worn out with the maintenance and the wall that is holding it on one side is not looking too happy. There are going to be some major renovations this summer, I'm afraid. Don't know how yet but we'll figure something out.
The deer are still coming every evening to eat cafeteria leftovers. Haven't seen the foxes the past few days but the possum is pretty regular. Cleo thinks that he is about the ugliest feline she's ever seen......Filled up my NEW, replacement bird feeder off the deck this morning . The other one got destroyed during the big wind storm so I had to get another. Half an hour later this one crashed to the ground. The squirrels use them as pinatas. I think I even saw one with a stick in his paw and twinkle in his eye. I used duct tape to stick it back together and a stiffer hanger to hang it with. Hopefully, that will do the trick! Nasty squirrels!
Kids at school (and teachers) are sooo looking forward to Christmas break. The year has flown by and I am getting used to my cart. Not fond of running all over the place to get my supplies and every classroom is a different temperature, but it's a paycheck and the kids are good, most of the time! Looking forward to getting my new student teacher on January 11. Boy, will she get a good workout! After that, everything will seem easy to her though.
Gotta' run! 'til next time! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!!!! Eat lots of turkey and take lots of naps.

Love,

Lee Ann And Dennis

(and Cleo too!)

Yes, I am still alive!

Boy it sure has been awhile! It seems I don't have a spare minute to do anything anymore! I know that this time of the year, the days are getting shorter but this is ridiculous! I think the second hands on clocks throughout the world have actually sped up, causing little Lee Annie to have to operate her life at warp speed. It seems that I get up at 5:30, rush to get ready, drive about 80 to get to work, run my little cart room to room, do errands after work, drive about 80 to get home, eat, watch TV, go to bed just to get up and do it all over again. I do manage to get in a run/hike out in the woods every now and then, which is such a wonderful diversion. Keeping up the exercise routine in this weather is quite a challenge.
My classes are going fine, which is a good thing. Enjoyed driving my Benz on all those sunny days and top down days always make you feel good. Dennis is still stressing over his rip-off of an adventure race. Unfair scoring makes Dennis hate adventure racing! I don't know what he'll get into next. Maybe he can just race me around the yard! A guaranteed win and all for free! haha
Looking forward to Thanksgiving break and getting some rest! Oh, and the little foxes have decided to return for evening snacks along with our deer, who are regulars. It's apples and grapes on the menu this evening!
'til next time!

It's FRIDAY! (gosh, I'm tired!)

It's been awhile since I have blogged, hasn't it?? So what's new? Here's a list:

1. I am now 44. I like even numbers better, so it's OK. Some kid asked me if I was 49 today and said I looked old. (May the fleas of a thousand camels infest his armpits....)
2. I got a rockin new fridge for my birthday that has french doors (it says "oui oui" when I open them, ha) and the freezer is on the bottom. Two gorillas delivered it last Friday at 7:30 pm. I'm sure they had a part in "Deliverance".
3. Swine flu seems to have passed somewhat. We now have a teacher with it though, and still a few absent.
4. Saw "Where the Wild Things Are" on my birthday Tuesday and they must have been high on drugs when they wrote it. But then again, hard to make a full length film out of a 14 page book........about big fuzzy monsters and a kid in a rabbit suit.........
5. Ran/hiked 3 miles yesterday evening and it was great being outside in the woods. Cookie dog went with me. She makes a good running partner because she never complains and she only stops to bite her butt once in a while....you know, fleas.....she will also go anywhere I want to go without discussing the pros and cons of that decision. She just knows she likes to go. Period......

Guess that about sums up my exciting life at this point. Time to go rest now!

Just another manic Monday!

Where, oh where, did the weekend go??? We went to Lake Vesuvius on Sunday so Dennis could practice canoeing with his adventure race team! Only we had to go at 9 am which meant lots of cold fog. Dennis said he felt funny with all them sitting up so high, so he squatted in front and looks like he has no legs! Yikes! haha Anyway, after we paddled for about an hour, we ran the trail for a couple of miles which was a major accomplishment for me. I have practiced my running skills and heaven knows, I am no runner, but peer pressure is a great motivator and I stuck with them. Dennis turned around at the finish and said "Where's Lee Ann?" as he searched the trail far behind us and then I stuck my head out from behind Kent and said "I'm right here!" (Was that shock and disbelief I saw on his face as he realized I hadn't been left in the dust? I think so! Oh, Dennis of little faith! haha) And today my thigh muscles are scolding me for my running efforts! Better enjoy the outdoors while I can. November first will be the end of evening fun times for a while (sigh). But at least I might be able to actually see where I am driving in the mornings again. I hate driving to work in the dark. It's so wrong. Speaking of work, we are still fighting the Swine Flu. Lots of kids out with it. Might as well lick a door knob and get it over with.......Hope the rest of the week goes well! 'til next time! And remember, you can click on the photos above to enlarge!

YAYYYY weekends!!!!

Today sure did fly by! Unlike this past work week which seemed to go on forever! In fact, there must have been some sort of celestial event or cosmic happening that made it so because I could have sworn it last about 10 days instead of 5. We got our first case of swine flu at school too. Nice. I think I will just put my head in a fish bowl for the next 5 months. They can preach "hand washing" 'til the cows come home but it just isn't happening in the world of elementary school children! If every child spent the required 20-30 seconds scrubbing their hands in the couple of sinks available, it would take our school community of approximately 300 children 2.5 hours to wash all those hands twice a day for a grand total of 5 hours every day! Here's another little fact to make you weak in the knees: During a sneeze, water, air, mucous, and pathogens leave a person's body at about 100mph. One sneeze can carry 100,000 germs. We're dooomed. I even caught one of my first graders licking his entire desktop..........sheesh.......

But today was fun! Dennis and I spent about 3 hours with little buddy Cookie-dog out in the woods clearing more bike trails. We rode our mountain bikes and some of the hills were so steep I had to push my 30 lb bike up them but when you could ride, it was just awesome! Cookie stayed with us the whole time, when she wasn't chasing some critter around in the weeds. We came back home and ate some left over chili and cornbread and I even fixed Cookie some because I knew she had to be tired and hungry too. I actually fell asleep for about a half an hour then we walked to the mailbox, came back , mowed grass, raked leaves and cleaned up the yard a bit. Dennis had to clean the carb on my push mower because it kept trying to die. The idle was really off and it would surge then die, surge then die but now it's back to it's old self. Still crappy, but at least it doesn't sound like it's going to quit every 10 seconds!!!! Busy day and my old knee is feeling it. I forgot to wear my Mueller knee band so now I have one of those Icy Hot bandages on it and I hope that will help it. One more day and then it's back to the grind!!!