{solsc} 7/31 #sol18 . I Got The Music In Me

I can't sing (well)
I don't play an instrument (although I played clarinet in 5-8 grades)
But it doesn't stop me from loving music.

I often wake in the morning with a song going through my head. Sometimes it happens during the day because of something I've heard. Right now, of course, I have the song I Got The Music in Me going through my head because my daughter-in-law shared the video on Facebook last night and I watched it this morning (it's also the inspiration for this post).

My husband, our sons, our daughter-in-law are all the same way. We love the music.  My husband's favorite Christmas gifts to buy each year are the CDs he finds for the boys and our daughter-in-law. While I do the rest of the shopping, he spends days and days looking for just the right music gifts. He's usually spot on in his choices as evidenced in the sharing of the music between "the kids".

Last summer my husband and some friends went to several concerts of "old timers" who were touring around our area. Each concert was amazing in its own unique way and we'd drive home singing the songs of our youth.

We're starting "Tour 2018" today with a trip to Iowa City to see Arlo Guthrie. We've found the set list he usually plays, listened to a few songs to get us in the mood, and most importantly, put the address of the venue in the car navigation system!

I'm sure tomorrow's post will be about the concert. In the meantime, how about sharing your favorite songs or favorite concerts with me. I've got some tour dates to fill!

{solsc} 6/31 #sol18 . 3 Things

One of the things I've been doing this year to keep myself writing every day is to write prompts on the pages of my notebook., then, if I can't think of anything to write about, I'm not facing a blank page. The prompts have sparked more than a few ideas. This prompt was "Three Things I Can't Go Without"

1. Morning Coffee. I always have at least two cups. K-cups are my go to on the mornings that I sub. Green Mountain Breakfast Blend and McDonald's are my go-tos on these mornings. Just black. No flavors. And since the high school where I sun has a Keurig in the lounge, I always have a k-cup with me just in case I want one more cup when I get to school.

On those mornings when I don't have to go to work, I make a full pot. Often, I make a flavored coffee (usually from Door County Coffee). I love to sit back and read or write while enjoying these brews. My current favorites are Highlander Grog, Jamaican Me Crazy, and Cranberry Orange Muffin, although that third position changes frequently.

2.  The Lake. I have always had places in my life that soothe my soul. Places where I feel balanced no matter what is going on in my life. There is something so peaceful about sitting beside water and listening to its rhythm. It slows down life, so we appreciate what we have.  I'm counting the days now until we can open the trailer.

3. Family and Friends Although I'm somewhat of an introvert, small close groups are an important part of my life. I need those connections as much as I need

3B) Alone time. I also need that time with no one around to figure out my world, enjoy myself, and recharge my batteries.

So, there you are. Three essential things in my life. What are yours?

{solsc} #sol18 5/31 Bananas: The World's Most Imperfect Food

There no words strong enough to convey my hatred of bananas. Even now, writing the word, my nose wrinkles and my face grimaces in disgust.

People always ask what it is about bananas that I don't like. Can I just say EVERYTHING.

First of all, they bruise and brown so easily that they always look spoiled. Then, there's the texture and the taste. They are sooooo slimy when you bite into them. The few times I have tried them, I gagged.

And, worst of all, the smell.

Because when I smell banana, all the rest of my dislike comes to the forefront. I hate the smell so much I refused to let kids eat bananas in my classroom (and I always let kids have healthy food in my room). If a kid brought a banana to eat, they had to go in the hall to eat it. And obviously, the peel was thrown away in the garbage can I kept OUTSIDE of my room. I wasn't going to live with the smell all day.

My husband loves bananas. Eats one every day. I hate having to buy them because I imagine the smell on my hands forever.  He loves me though and keeps a grocery store sack on the counter where he throws his peel when he's done.  I hate it when he eats them in the car because he doesn't want to throw the peel out the window when he's done. Says it's littering. I counter that the peel is A) biodegradable and B) the animals will eat it.

We had a new convenience store open in our town one year and they have the best muffins in all different flavors. About once a week I would stop before school for a muffin and a cappuccino. Caramel Nut muffins are a particular favorite. One morning I grabbed a muffin on my way to school. Imagine my horror when I bit into it and it was BANANA NUT. Not my fault. It was mismarked. The next day, the manager gave me four of my Caramel Nut ones. Trust me when I tell you, I now smell the muffins before I buy them.

Students have had a lot of fun with my banana hatred in the past. I had a group of eighth graders one year who all brought bananas to eat during class. I had to remind them that I held their grades in my hands and they should not try this again. We all laughed, but I think I was serious.

One year at the end of a speech season, my seniors forked and banana'd my yard. I came out to go to school one morning and found lots and lots of plastic forks in my yard (forks were a thing in our town for a while--much better than TP). Around many of the forks were rotten banana peels. I think it backfired on them a little because they kept saying, "Do you know how many bananas we had to eat?"

So, please, don't tell me how good they are for you, don't give me a piece of banana bread and tell me I won't even know it's in there. Just eat the stupid thing in another room.

{solsc} 4/31 #sol18 . Harry, Work Your Magic

"I need you to walk into the room, so it magically starts working."

Those were my words to "Harry, the Tech God" on Friday. Because isn't that what always happens when you give up and finally go to the tech guy? They walk in the room and it works.

I'd shown Romeo and Juliet for two days to the freshmen English classes I was subbing in. Everything worked perfectly. But, of course, Friday, the last day I'm in class, I can't get the stupid movie to show up on the Promethean board.

I tried EVERYTHING in my tech arsenal.

• I turned off the board.
• I took the DVD out of the player and put it back in again.
• I restarted the computer.
• I checked all the connections

Zip. Nada. Nothing.

There was only one thing left to do. Get Harry.

I begin class and Harry works his magic. Oh. It doesn't just magically work. He repeats everything I had already done. Nothing. 

And then he reaches behind the Promethean board and does something. I'm not sure what, but we have LIGHTS. CAMERA. ACTION.

{solsc} 3/31 #sol18 . Celebrate

My favorite day to write.  

Saturday.

APPRECIATING the little MOMENTS that

bring me JOY.

Silly MOMENTS in English 9

The "3 roll finger"

"It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't wear lipstick"

And giggles.

Lunch with friends

Cheering on our girls' basketball team

as they

make school history.

Walking with Chloe

and finding spring everywhere

even among the snow piles.

Tulips sneaking their tips through the ground

Buds popping out on the lilac bush

Streams of melting snow

racing down the street.

It's not hard to find 

MOMENTS 

to celebrate

if you just take the time to look.

{solsc} 2/31 #sol18 When You Anger the Cooking Gods

"I turned the crockpot up to high. The potatoes and carrots were still hard as a rock."

Wait.  What?

It's basketball tournament time and I wanted to watch basketball on TV all afternoon, so I threw a small frozen pork roast in the crockpot, along with the potatoes and carrots, so we'd have dinner with minimal effort.

"It is on high," I yelled back.

"No. It's on low. I thought you must have turned it down."

Crap. This is trouble.

"The roast should be fine. It's just the potatoes and carrots."

Right. We left it going until after the game. I fished the offending potatoes and carrots out of the crockpot, put them in another dish and finished cooking them in the microwave. While they were cooking, I was going to make gravy.

No flour.  REALLY?

OK. Not a big deal.

Get the roast out and begin to cut it. Let's just say, it WAS NOT DONE.

I am 61 years old. I've been cooking for over 50 years. How the h@#* do you mess up a roast in the crockpot?  I will tell you that at the time, I was not seeing the humor in all this. Although I'm pretty sure Greg chuckled every time I walked into the living room.

"We still have leftover chicken from the other night. Let's just eat that and save the roast for tomorrow. I'll finish cooking it then."

Good plan. I get the chicken out and throw it in the microwave.  I'll make some instant mashed potatoes and veggies. We'll be good.

Except. We don't have any instant mashed in the cupboard. The bag I thought was potatoes was a soup mix.

What cooking god have I offended?

OK. We're having french fries. I know we have those. And I steam the veggies in the microwave.

Finally. Dinner.

Thank heavens for leftovers!

{solsc} 1/31 #sol18 Welcome to Our Blog

Many changes have occurred since I created this blog and joined the Slice of Life challenge in 2011. But none bigger than this past year.

I retired.

Honestly, it wasn't in our plan for me to retire yet. I loved my kids and the staff I worked with. I wasn't quite ready to leave teaching. But when my district offered an early retirement plan last January, my husband and I knew I had to take it. More than likely this was the last time it would ever be offered.

To tell the truth, retirement has been wonderful. I sub in my high school so I get to see my kids and my friends a couple of times a week. The best part is, I get all the good times and none of the work that goes along with it. No lesson plans. No grading. I just go home and relax.

I did quit writing for a while--or " paused it" as Terje says. I wasn't sure I had stories left to share, but in January I started a new notebook and a new writing habit. I didn't post writing to my blog every day, but my notebook is full of ideas.

My name is Chloe and this is my blog too--I mean, after all, it is named after me! I've been around the whole time Mom has been writing in March (sometimes I write too). I haven't always liked it because it just takes too much of her time. But now that she is home more it should be OK. 

I really like Mom being home more. We get to go for a lot more walks and we play outside in the yard a lot, even when it's cold! Mom says it's good for us.

We even stayed at the lake longer last year. That was really fun. Even though there weren't as many of my people around, it was cool cuz I didn't have to be on my leash all the time.

The only bad thing about Mom being retired is it really cuts into my beauty sleep. I used to take a long nap in the afternoon but now, with Mom home, I don't get to really sleep. So maybe this year, March won't be so bad! Mom can write and I can sleep. 

Sounds like a good deal to me!

Anyway, welcome to Coffee With Chloe. We hope you'll be back!

Today's Writing Inspiration