Rites of Spring

We've had good weather lately, and plenty of rain this winter. The lake is up and lapping against our small berm. Today, Ed is putting out grape vines. He's planted posts along our property line and wants to start some scuppernongs. They will make a nice, natural fence when mature. Seems like I turned around and everything was blooming this week. I'm noticing the azaleas and wisteria on my way to work. All of a sudden, the seasons have rolled over and changed.

We spent some time last weekend cleaning out our closet. Three bags of clothes went to the church to benefit a clothing drive. After the clean-out, my husband ended up with three pairs of khaki pants, all the same color. "Maybe it's not a good thing to wear pants that seem like the same pair of pants to church every week?" I suggested gently. Last night, after work, we headed to the Big City. We had a really good, really expensive dinner at Chili's, then hit the mall. Finding slacks and shirts for him was a breeze, and we got some good deals. I guess I shouldn't have insisted that he go into the women's dressing room with me, however. When he came out, there were three rather large men standing there, arms folded across their chests, wondering, no doubt, what HE had been doing in the women's dressing room. Ed bowed his head, refused to look the bullies in the eyes, and muttered to me, "Never again." But, what a man to go in there in the first place. I think he's a bigger man than the guys waiting outside.

Finished the yearbook this week and sent in the final pages. That's a huge relief. I won't know what to do with myself for the rest of the school year. I take that back. We just finished state standardized testing and have 10 weeks left of school. Do you think my students want to do much? Not much. I'm going to teach novels after spring break, then maybe backtrack to do some mythology and folk tales. I'm hoping to do most of the planning for the novels over the break. My grandmother also has a few outings planned for us, one to see her sister in Dothan and another to Wal-Mart with lunch at the buffet afterwards. I'll be sure to set aside some time to sit out on the porch with a good book and just watch the water.

This is the first year we'll have End of the Year exams in each subject. I've seen the proposed exams for sixth and seventh grade. The seventh grade exam is pretty good; I say that modestly because I helped write it at an all day conference last year. The sixth grade exam is a nightmare. None of my students will be able to identify adverbs. They won't remember what sensory details are or how to tell a simile from a metaphor. The test itself is ridiculously difficult because the test items are given little or no context. To make matters worse, there's no continuity between the exams for the different grades. The District should have hired professionals to design the tests and, you guessed it, we teachers (same ones that had to write it) will have to grade it.

My husband is looking into starting a new business venture, a welding shop run from his hanger here at home. This week, he has been investigating all the necessary steps for setting up a corporation, and he met with an accountant on Thursday. He is excited about owning and running a business, and I know he'll do a fine job. I like the idea of him working out here. "If you don't have any work in the shop," I said straight-faced, "you can always come in and do a little vacuuming or laundry." He laughed. He sure has been a wonderful house hubby, and I hate to lose him to a fulltime business. It's been a blessing to have him taking care of me and the house during the busiest part of the school year.

TAFN