Breath and Wind.

Tonight's soup is a strange concoction. I made lemon herb chicken again. Mom vetoed turnips in soup (so close minded) So I did a base of celery, onion, carrot, (the usual) and then added parsnips instead. It is simmering now and towards the end of making sure the veggies are cooked through I will add spiralized zucchini as the noodles. I'm sure this will be a NEW favorite for Dad. After I am done with this chicken run, going to do a beef stew. I'm over chicken. It has been fun to try some different recipes although they have a lot of similarities. I was going to be braver, but mom keeps vetoing squash in soup with an emphatic NO.  Mom was out of Parsley 👀😕 so I chose some of my own spices.  I added basil, turmeric, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. It smells pretty good right now in the house.  Dad often takes a peek to see what is going on in the kitchen and is usually horrified. Not by the number of dishes in the sink, but by the vegetables here and there. I've discovered over time that broth or stock  a long with sauteing veggies it can take the stink out of most of them and make them downright edible. Although, Brussel Sprouts there is NO hope for them. 

I stayed up late the other night to see what decisions our school board would make regarding starting back to school. Their plan is awful, for teachers and parents. It is a lose lose plan. A schedule that is a nightmare for working parents. Listening to the board I also was PAINFULLY aware they have NO idea what teaching actually involves and what Online learning actually involves. Also, I realized how much they didn't know they didn't know. They still have a lot of questions to answer, and they don't have those answers. Our superintendent has only been here for three weeks so she is having to play catch up on the move. She seems pretty "on-the-ball" and I am hopeful she'll be a good leader.

The wind shifted a bit and the air quality has improved a lot here. I am almost feeling like I am at capacity for oxygen.  The simple act of getting enough oxygen on an inhale is the best feeling. If the air quality did not improve I was going to pack up and leave for elsewhere. I cleaned the filters on the air conditioner so that it smelled a lot less like a campfire today. The best thing of all though was that I was FINALLY able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time. My brother keeps telling me to eat watercress for my lungs. A search was conducted and no watercress to be found. Occasionally I will see it in a store, when my lungs are working fine, and it isn't needed. My brother suggested I grow my own. I looked into that and I am lacking a lot of skills, time, patience, and water sources for that project. It was vetoed. It would be nice to find a source for it.

I try to make a plan for this school year and wrap my head around it, and then something changes again. I am just telling myself one day at a time, and it will be what it will be. So many practices that make for effective teaching are being left by the wayside. The edicts from our governor are bad for kids. Sad...

Soups in July

Seems random to cook so much soup in July perhaps. I fill Mom's freezer with easy lunches. The soup themes have similar notes since they are made for Mom she has input on the soup. I tried to add variety but Squash Soup sounds gross! I thought she was more open minded. The soup list has been

Homemade Chicken Noodle
Hamburger
Italian Potato Sausage
Lemon Chicken Artichoke

I like these freezer/microwave/dishwasher safe containers for soup. 
They are a good serving size, and their square shapes fit nicely in the freezer.

19-20 School Year Wrap Up

Moving into classroom in a whirlwind few days.
Starting school with incomplete small construction pieces here and there
Seemingly Unending Raw Sewage smell in our brand new school giving us headaches and nausea.
Super Lice- 50% of my students had SUPER lice.
Lice Repellent Spray- Every Day smelling like I'd been fumigated.
Testing, Testing, Testing
PITA parent who contributed greatly too their students anxiety.
Super Lice
MEETINGS, Meetings, MEETINGS!
COVID-19
School moves to online only
Incredibly Annoying upstairs neighbors
Missing Students- whereabouts still unknown
No Spring Break travel
Reading Endorsement
Parents discover their students won't do work at home and that is their teachers fault.
Online learning curve.
Continued Meetings
Packing up classroom at designated times to prevent too many people being in the building at the same time.
Most pathetic ending to school EVER.