School Supplies

 
I went to Wal-Mart yesterday to pick up some photos and was shocked to see employees filling the school supply shelves! The school lists are in their little slots and the familiar bins of glue sticks, erasers, rulers, and crayons are in their usual places. Huge stacks of paper were being unloaded from pallets. Already?

 I rounded the next aisle, and there stood one of my parents from last year making her selections. I guess it is time to start switching gears. Time for Mrs. Maurer to start making a list and checking it twice. No matter how many years I teach I’m always fearful that I’ll forget something essential for the first week. I never do…but there is always a first time.

Even though I will be eager for school to start by the time we go through three more weeks of numbing heat, I can’t help but panic a bit over what I have yet to accomplish here at home. I still have several writing projects to finish, a major filing cabinet overhaul that is one-third complete, one closet left to clean, and two photo projects I want to do. Of course the resumption of teaching doesn’t mean the end of any and all home projects- it just means I will reorder my priorities, and home projects will once again be at the bottom of the list, where they progress very slowly.

Seeing the school supply lists also makes me thankful that I no longer have children in school. Supplies get more expensive each year and parents with several children can go into debt very quickly. My colleagues and I try to keep our list to the bare minimum.

Just a couple of personal notes. I did find a home for the bird. One of our local residents has several big birds and was happy to take him, with the caveat that the owner could still claim him. I just couldn’t see him fitting into our lifestyle of cats and fish. It has been decades since I have raised birds. But I do remember that the bigger ones demand more care, with social time being a high priority. They also have special diet requirements. So he is much better off with someone who knows what she is doing.

Of course I missed two great photo opportunities this morning while I was watering. It was very early when I went out so I didn’t take the camera with me. The first missed photo was one of my usual morning “bunny buddy” eating leaves off the cantaloupes!  He is always outside near the garden when I go out in the morning, but this is the first time I’ve seen him bother the cantaloupe plant. And he didn’t feel the least bit guilty! He let me walk within three feet of him before he grabbed a big leaf, hopped over to the pasture side of the fence, and then turned to watch me while he ate it!

A few minutes later I put the hose down and pulled a large weed, only to find that a very cute baby bunny was sitting next to it! He hopped a few feet away, looked up at me, and then got lost in the tangle of Shasta daisies at the base of the bird feeder.  By the time I got the camera off the table he was gone. I’ll take the camera out in the morning and look for him in the same spot since animals visit the same feeding areas each day.

I understand we are very close to breaking a record for summer days over 100 degrees. Our average is usually about 15 and we are already at 13. Ouch!

Be careful out there!  

 

 

Comments

[diana Weger]

I just skipped past the school supplies...NOT READY TO GO THERE YET!! LOL
Can't believe it's almost over!!

[Megan]

I'm ordering school supplies right now and have two boxes from oriental trading already. Trent brought home a couple cases of paper from Office Max: $25 back on a $40 paper purchase.

Summer is flying by. I feel like I'm just getting into the groove of it and it's already mid July.

Stay cool!