Soccer Madness/School Registration/Budget Cuts

The roller coaster has begun. Tonight I sat through 2 and 1/2 hours of the Mad monsters soccer camp. Thank goodness we are sitting at only 76% humidity and it's about 83 degrees. I still drank 32 oz. of water and did the pee pee dance in the car all the way home.

I have to say it was far more interesting than you would think. I spent the entire evening chatting with one of the teachers at my daughters school. Our schools are in dire need of supplies. I didn't realize that each teacher (those that haven't been let go due to budget cuts) has lost their class supply budget...there is NO money. That means those nifty little weekly notes that come home stating homework and what's going on in class are a distant memory. We, as parents, are going to have to pony up or our children will suffer. I for one, am taking that teacher "wish list" to heart tomorrow morning when I go to register for the 4th grade...EGADS...the fourth grade!

I hated my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Heffner. After my dreamy 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Westomoreland, I did not adjust well to the old school, hard nosed, no fun teacher. I look back now and wonder...how close was she to retirement. I hope the Mad monster will like her teacher this year. I know she is in for a rude awakening when I become more involved in her class life.

Well, I'm off to get ready for that "wish list", creating wedding packages, washing soccer socks and paying fees and donations that i no longer question when it comes to my daughters education.

Hey, I know the silhouette...

THE SEA OF SUNSET.
This is the land the sunset washes,

These are the banks of the Yellow Sea;

Where it rose, or whither it rushes,

These are the western mystery!
Night after night her purple traffic

Strews the landing with opal bales;

Merchantmen poise upon horizons,

Dip, and vanish with fairy sails.

-That Emily Dickinson chickie

What is more simple than girls by the bay? What is more simple than enjoying the breeze and the sand and the sunset? I've been avoiding many things in life, but can the sunset really be ignored? If you can honestly say you don't see it when it is in front of you...you have no heart, you have no love of majesty. Oh I could go on and on. But I won't because it's late and I'm tired and didn't see the sunset tonight.

Salmon...sigh

I love Salmon. My mom started my love of salmon as a kid making salmon patties fried up and served with whatever veggie she had on hand, preferably fried squash or okra - they never really made it to the table, I'd stand over her and eat each little morsel right away.

My husband was a total meat and potato man, salmon was not a meat...beef was a meat. (Although he fished, salmon was not a Potomac River catch, lol.) When he found out he was diabetic, carbs became a no no, salmon became a favorite and potatoes were a special thing.

Now we eat salmon quite a bit. There are so many ways to use left overs too. Ochazuke, rice ball filling, toss on salads, etc. Tonight I made homemade tomato soup (I had to use those yummy tomatoes from my mother-in-laws garden before they went bad), asparagus, salmon and mock croutons. My picture doesn't really do it all justice. Even the Mad Monster was begging for more "croutons" for her soup. So maybe this blog entry should be about the tomato soup...hmmm.